


Into The Bone Eater's Well

by Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:02:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 60,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27205613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon/pseuds/Kawaii_Chibi_InuDemon
Summary: Kagome's beginnings in the Feudal era only with a twist. She finds herself separated from the group only a few days after Sango joins them. And yes, I know that it comes off like the show, but I promise that will change in later chapters I just wanted to tweak the beginning a bit.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the fantastic show 'Inuyasha'.

The sun rose slowly over the forest, Inuyasha's Forest, shadows moving slowly making the trees appear to be on fire and the shadows like smoke billowing away. Just down from the forest was a small village, wooden huts littered the open space. An older lady made her appearance from the hut, her form hunched over due to her age as she allowed the flap to her hut to close behind her, tho the wind around her whipped it lightly. Her long hair, a grayed white, was pulled back with a simple ribbon of pristine white. It went with her kosode that also was a pure white that grew brighter as the sun hit her causing her one good eye to wince as she moved her left hand to shield it slightly. It was a quiet morning, as it had been for a few days, unusual in her era when demons and evil lurked around them at every turn or breath. It had been a hard fifty years growing into her sister, Kikyo's, position as Miko of their tiny village. She felt like a shadow of her sister, a priestess that rivaled all around them. Her sister would have prospered in the village, aiding young and old as well as her obligation to the Shikon no Tama. The woman sneered at the thought of the jewel that had cost her sister her own life in more ways than her young death. It was an unholy jewel. A pearl that glowed brightly and yet it also swam with shadows when the holder was one of vile distinction. Her sister was pure, as pure as she was required and yet she held no emotion.

That's not fair of me to think. She sighed. Her sister was a loving sibling and cared for those around her, but at the same time the young Miko was greedy for what she wanted, holding it tightly to her heart so that no one would see it even she had only seen it flash in her sister's brown eyes a few times over the years. When Kikyo had hit the age of eighteen it had come ever more apparent that the raven haired female didn't want to protect the jewel anymore, its color still shining brightly around her sister's neck. She had come to hate the jewel that she had been tasked with, the obligation weighing her down into the darkness of her own heart. Everyone had good and evil in their souls, but in that darkness that most ignored was the deep end of it. The selfishness of their souls. Kikyo just wanted to be a normal woman, one that could marry and birth children. She wanted to love and it shone in her eyes now as Inuyasha flew above them and back into his forest. The priestess had fallen in love, tho she didn't think her sister really love the half demon male, but secretly fallen for the fact that he was her. Inuyasha being a half demon was unwanted by both sides.

"Kaede! There's a commotion out in Inuyasha's Forest!" the young male yelled, his brown eyes shimmering with fear and uncertainty. Raising a brow Kaede headed out, walking slowly to the edge of the village as yelling and the sound of destruction echoed around them.

What in the hell is happening out there?!

A young raven haired female groaned as her backside hit the well, a whimper on her pink lips as she fell forward. The sound of the grass moving caught her attention, as if knowing the fight wasn't over she pushed herself up.

"GIVE IT TO ME!" came the shriek of the monster that turned toward her, it's arm still missing in the well just behind her. The centipede loomed above her, it's black beady eyes flashing at her in warning as it came crashing down again, trying to squash her with every move that it made as it slithered over the grass. The sun was higher in the skies now, the clouds moving away quickly. "I MUST HAVE IT! THE SHIKON NO TAMA!" Having already blasted the creature before she decided to try again only to fail as the centipede grasped wrist that had been thrown out before finding itself hit with spears that held its body tight. With a growl of anger it turned its attention to the villagers that had gathered to bring it down. Tho they seemed on her side she found herself not moments later being dragged away with her hands and legs confined with harsh ropes.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?!" she cried out in frustration as she looked around her, the forest moving away, tho she could hear the monster behind her lashing out at the villagers that stayed behind to destroy it. Where the hell am it!? Continuing to fight against the ropes she failed to hear the voices of others, females and children talking softly as some peeked out from behind wooden flaps of their huts as the men dragged her into the middle of the village where Kaede waited, her brown eye opening wide as they brought the unknown woman before her.

"K-Kikyo?" she whispered before giving herself a mental shake of her head to clear it. There was no way that this female child before her was her sister. Her sister had been dead for too long for her to be younger than that of her death year. She was just a child before her where her sister had been a woman. "Who are ye?" she questioned, her voice quiet but still holding a hiss of mistrust. The raven haired child glared at her, tho her own chocolate brown eyes shown with curiosity of her situation.

"Well, it's NOT Kikyo," she muttered. "My name is Kagome and where am I?" She looked around herself again, noting that all the men had top knots. That was from soooo many eras before her own, but then again maybe she was dreaming. I can't be in the Edo Era could I? "Seriously, what year is it?" Kaede looked perplexed at her question, tho Kagome wore clothing that looked nothing like she had seen before.

"It's 1467. What other year would ye think we were in?" Kagome shook her head in disbelief, but gave no answer to the question as she sat there in complete silence before inquiring if they could untie her. With a shrug she allowed the young girl to be untied. With a gruff voice, raspy with age as well as her questions about where the strange girl had come from and the undeniable similarities the girl held to her sister.

"We're not in Tokyo anymore, are we?" she said mostly to herself, tho Kaede heard her question, her brow raising. Her red hakama moving with her legs as she got more comfortable, which was hard with her aging body. It was hot some days and other times she found herself chilled to the very bones.

"What is this Tokyo? Is this where ye are from?" she questioned the other female. Kagome nodded.

"And where I need to get back to," she clarified to the older female. The information she had gather from the old Miko was interesting. Besides learning that she resembled the older sister of the old lady was one thing, but finding that she had died because of a jewel that a half demon had wanted from her. It had resulted in the death of the young Miko, barely an adult. That there was that kind of evil the world was astonishing enough but that it wasn't in her text books from home made it hard to believe. Tho where I am now makes that totally believable. Her mind turned back to the fact that even if she wanted to get back to her time and those very text books that sat on her desk she had no way of knowing how and if it was possible. Was she stuck here? In this time that was so different from her own modern time or was there truly a way to get her back to her mother, her brother and her grandfather? Her thoughts were interrupted as the ground shook, the hut crumbling a bit as screams were heard outside the hut, the flap blowing open a bit to reveal that not only was she in the Feudal times but she was in danger yet again from the creature that had brought her there.

She was not only angry as she shoved the flap open further, a horse landing with a thud, the ground stirring up dust and a painful neigh from the creature itself...but she was scared. She didn't want to die! Certainly not this young and not here of all places where she was sure that if she had been injured the medical care wasn't going to do her any favors. Running out she spotted the centipede before her, her teeth glimmering in the moonlight as she spotted the raven haired child. Running at her, her black eyes flashing, her body slithering over villagers. She crushed so many, their cries filling the air as bones cracked and shattered in their fleshy forms. She might be scared, but at the same time seeing all the people around her crying out in pain, the sight of blood paining the ground and the huts surrounding her she knew she needed to do ONE thing and that was get the monster away from the village!

"Give me the fucking Shikon no Tama, bitch!" the monster growled. Kaede felt her breath leave her lungs. What was this creature talking about?! The jewel was gone, the pearl of misery, it was in the Netherworld!

"Be ye have that accursed thing on ye?!" she cried in horror. Kagome just looked back at her in confusion.

"I don't know what that thing is talking about!" she yelled back, turning back to the demon in question. I don't know what the hell that thing is talking about but it obviously wants me for whatever reason. She looked back at Kaede again as several village men came to their side, all covered in blood and looking fearful.

"The blades and spears have no effect on her!" one cried out in fear.

"She's coming again!" another screamed as indeed the centipede found its pace, her speed making the dust and grass fly. Kaede pointed off into the forest, the last place she wanted to go. It was a place of misery for her. It was where the half demon that had taken her sister's young life was secured to a tree. A tree that he should NOT have been trapped to. He should have died along with her sister. It was not fair that he had been allowed to sleep while her sister would never wake up. Sacred Tree was where he was, the tree that held him in a never-ending slumber and although there was not a breath that passed his lips he was not dead, sealed as it were. She hated him, tho at one point he was someone she actually got along with unlike the only other man in her sister's life. She had been surprised to learn from her sister before her untimely death that Inuyasha had attacked her. He didn't want to become a human like he had stated so many times before, his affection for Kikyo so strong that he would heed her wish of being together as two normal humans.

Shaking her head out of her memories, the feelings as fresh as the days they were lived. "We must get Mistress Centipede back to the old Bone Eaters' Well!" Kagome looked back to her in confusion, even tho the men around them knew what she was talking about they feared that they were not strong enough to get the monster back to where she had come from, still unsure how she had come to be before them in the terror that she had been before. "In the Forest of Inuyasha!" she cried pointing off into the general direction. Kagome looked off into the distant tree, the place foreboding in the darkness.

"Where the light is?!" she inquired as she fixed her gaze onto an area that she failed to notice no one around her knew what she was talking about. It shown so brightly, like the aurora borealis lights that hung over Alaska in the United States. Its greens and blues mixing together in a kaleidoscope of colors that shown like gems in the darkened skies. Not waiting for an answer she rushed off, her green skirt billowing around her, her white shirt blowing in the wind as she disappeared over the horizon. Kaede was struggling to see what the girl claimed was in the distance. There were no lights in the forest before her.


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile in the forest, in the middle of the area that grew full of light to the girl's eyes was a tree. A tree that held the form of the young boy she had seen earlier, and not only seen but she had touched his ears, the fur soft under her stroking fingers. It was there that she had seen him, when she thought she was almost home because of the very tree he was bound. His ears twitched slightly, his form almost pulsing with life as his first breath in fifty years filled his lungs. He could smell her in the breeze, her very scent making him sick to his stomach as his heart ached and lurched to life. He didn't know what was going on though. Here he was, stuck to the tree that she had put him, the air around him thicker than it had been before but that was probably because all the time that had passed unheeded by the sleeping male. He couldn't figure it out, but the scent was strong around him mixed with both demon energy and the energy of the earth around him. And yet...there were new scents around him that at the time he had been imprisoned to the accursed tree he was unfamiliar with. It was so unlike his last smell of his world around him when Kikyo, the woman he had grown close to, the woman whom had treated him as her companion in the world that failed to acknowledge the pair of misfits. He wasn't supposed to live since he was an abomination. His father had been an Inugami, a dog demon. His mother a mere human, though a princess of the lands where his parents had found love against all odds.

Feh. Their stupidity... That had led to his birth. He had been shunned with only a human female, a Miko, to care for his well-being and he hers. He had thought it perfect until she had turned on him, her eyes cold bits of color as she chased him! His train of thought was cut short as the ground shook and the scent of the female in his thoughts grew closer. It was then that he heard voices in the distance.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama!" it commanded her again. She was so tired of hearing of this jewel every five seconds from the monster but she didn't dare stop to see what all the big fuss was as she continued to climb up the grassy hill.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" she screamed back. "I don't have anything!"

His eyes narrowed. Shikon no Tama? Interesting. As that thought passed his mind the wind changed, the form of the centipede whipping close to him as a bedraggled female landed close to his bare feet. He looked down at her in contempt, her scent the one of his betrayer. Her clothing was different and her hair seemed shorter and wavier than the female Miko that had put him on this tree but the scent that she gave off, a mixture of her own scent and fear was unmistakable. "Are you done playing with that weak demonic centipede?" The girl before him looked up in confusion, her eyes full of questions and a good mix of fear. And yet, there was a fire that burned deeper in the chocolaty depth. "Why not kill her like you did to me, Kikyo," he spat, his voice full of venom as she stared un-moving before him. "Just one shot of your bow and she would be down in a second so why are you playing around?" Her own eyes narrowed and he could smell the fear dissipating as a glow appeared lightly around her form.

Why that asshole! she thought as a low growl came from her throat. "Who the hell is this Kikyo female? Why does everyone think I am this unknown girl?!" She stalked close to him, her fear completely forgotten as she got closer to him. It shocked him that she would move so close to him knowing he could kill her with just a look but she did. "That is NOT my damn name!" Tho she rarely ever cursed she found her anger boiling to the surface as she looked into his golden eyes.  
"My na-" He suddenly looked away from her, his golden gaze looking above them, just two words slipping past his lips.

"It's back," he whispered, her own eyes looking up just in time to see the half naked female form of the centipede come down on her. Her face was pressed deep into the dirt as the silver haired male glowered in disgust at the female in the dirt. It was at that point several spears appeared, again pulling at the centipede but this time she was not in the mood and quickly shoved them away from her roughly, the sound of cried filling the air and distraction Kagome who was still in the dirt. Blood covered her face where scratches littered her skin, her clothing dirty and torn. At the sound of his voice she turned to him. "Now come on, bitch. You keep fucking around with her and eventually she will kill you, Kikyo." Her eyes narrowed again. This was getting tiresome and now he had called her a bitch?! "That's my prize," he practically growled in frustration. Her brows rose at his threat but she was still rather pissed off at the mention of that name!

"I am getting sick and tired of hearing that stupid name!" she bellowed as the centipede freed herself and wrapped her long green body around the tree as Kagome continued. "My name is Ka-Go-Meeeeee!" she yelled, the last of her name spilling from her lips in a cry of pain as she was drug forward and into the tree. Her face smashed into the stomach of the male stuck to the tree. His eyes narrowed in a wince as she attempted to pull her face from his abs. "Ow," she whispered as her nose throbbed, some blood leaking out. She looked behind her as much as she could as her hair tangled slightly in the arrow that protruded from his chest. She could feel her lungs getting smaller with the force that the demon was putting on her body.

"I want it now! Give it to me!" Kagome felt hands on her, the delicate touch of the female demon pulled at her clothing in a not so soft touch. Her claws ripped at her clothing, shredding it a bit. The action made Kagome madder knowing her mother would be- Her mom? She was again brought to attention that she didn't even know if she would see her mother again, let alone come out alive. With a cry of misery, anger, and urgency she felt her body grow warm as a pink light encased her small form and the woman holding her down was thrown back. The cries of shock faded as she again looked down at herself in wonder.

Why does that keep happening? Her mind drifted back to the well when the centipede first made her appearance. "It happened again..." As she was thinking this the demon centipede rushed at her again, but Kagome heard her as she turned to scrambled closer to the tree, her hands reaching out as the creature grabbed her again, her claws breaking skin around her stomach. Grabbing the closest thing to keep her from being yanking off with the other female she managed to grab the silver white hair of the male before her, her eyes wide with fear. Her fingers slipped further as the male commanded her to let go of his hair, his head being pulled toward her. "Noooooo!" She was yanked free and thrown into the air as the rest villagers arrived, Kaede leading the charge. The other men that lay motionless on the ground from the first attack lay beneath her, her brown eyes watching them grow smaller as she flew up higher.

"Inuyasha is awake!" one male cried pointing to the now growling male.

"This cannot be!" Kaede cried out in disbelief. That seal was strong enough to last an eternity! It was in the minute that a blood dribbled down around them causing human and demon alike to look up. Kagome was caught in the teeth of Mistress Centipede, her body limp as she stared at the people below her. She could feel her warm blood coming out from her right side, the thick essence of her dripping onto the faces of the villagers and the grass.

"Hey Kikyo!" came the harsh voice of the demon still watching from his spot on the tree. "Are you really gonna let that weak excuse for a demon eat you?!" Her face contorted at the name yet again thrust on her, but before she could utter a syllable she was harshly jerked to the side, the motion tearing her skin. With a sickening, wet rip her blood overflowed, but what caught her attention and that of the people around her was the pink and purple orb that flew from the wound. Her eyes darkened for a minute at the shock but she was released at the same moment, her body hitting the roots below Inuyasha. The look on his face as soon as the scent of her blood below him would have been funny had she seen it, but she was too busy watching the orb roll away from her. A blood trail followed the glowing orb down the hill a ways before it stopped dead. She's not her?! He could smell the difference now, but that only made him more confused, but upon seeing the jewel fly from her form and hit the ground he knew he needed to get that jewel before the other demon swallowed it! It was his ticket to the one dream that he had until Kikyo had asked him to try another dream.

To be human. To forsake his demon side and live with her as human couples did...But it was a lie! She had lied to him and then betrayed him in the next second. But even knowing that he wondered where the Miko was. "It's mine!" he yelled as Kagome reached for it. "Give it to me!" She looked up at him as her fingers just barely grazed the shimmering jewel before she was once again swept up, the pain becoming unbearable with each attack. She felt her conscious trying to fade, the fingers of darkness at the edges of her vision as she was slammed this time into the male's lower part of his chest. With a smirk the centipede turned to look for the jewel, her body tightening with each movement. She tried to push out, but only one hand was free, her left one on Inuyasha's chest, his heart beating beneath it as the centipede's upper body came to rest before them, the jewel just below her.

"I had heard that a wretched Hanyou was looking to get the jewel for himself," she hissed out, her black eyes flickering over to him, his own eyes narrowing at her. "No matter as the Shikon no Tama shall be mine," she said looking down at the shimmering pearl. Kagome looked up at him, their faces so close she could feel his breath as he released it from his nose in a snort.

Hanyou? What is he? His white Akita ears moved and twitched as he watched the demon begin to open her mouth, the blood from Kagome hitting his nose like a punch in the face, but what he was more interested in was her tongue that was slithering out toward the jewel. His dark chuckle stopped her.

"Don't underestimate me, centipede jourou," his clawed finger twitching. "When a little bitch like you can't even begin to fathom the many ways I could kill you." She looked over at him, noting that even tho he had made the threat he wasn't acting on it. She could see the claws that struggled to move.

With a smile she responded, "It seems that even if you wanted to destroy me that you are at the mercy of whomever sealed your little power." He let out a growl of fury at the mention of the person who pinned him to the tree as the female pinned to him spoke up.

"You sure do have a healthy attitude about yourself, but can you really do it?" she questioned him. He looked at her in confusion which changed to shock and disgust. She looked over to where he was gawking and watched with baited breath as the demon before them ate the jewel, the shimmering pearl disappearing into her mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ewwwww," she whispered. It ate the jewel! What's gonna happen now?! In the distance she could hear one of the villagers ask the same question. That wasn't good. If Kaede didn't know then what was to be their fate once the jewel was digested fully? And then right before her eyes she got a good look at what would be something she could only describe as a horror movie from her time...although not as corny. She shuddered as the arms that lay on the ground from the purifying blasts that Kagome had managed to strike her with began to float, blood from the demon and her own dripping off the sides. I think I'm gonna be sick! "S-She's re-arming." The face of the demon that could have passed as a porcelain dolls face in her time became almost cracked as her face began to peel making the raven haired girl pale as she continued to watch as the skin fell away to leave a gruesome sight. The centipede's eyes that had once been beady in appearance now bulged forward in a fresh blood red color as her once white fangs became a musky looking yellow almost seeming to thrust from her gums.

Her body began to glow a burnt red as the majority changed to an ashen purple. "My power has returned 100 fold!" she bellowed with laughter that echoed darkly around them. Her body moved up further and tighter, causing Kagome to gasp as her lungs were being emptied with no way to inflate them with oxygen.

I don't want to die here! Struggling to get out from the weight of the centipede she grasped upward, her hand falling short of reaching the arrow that still hung above her head.

"Hey, can you pull this arrow out?" came a whisper. She looked up into the golden eyes of the male hanyou still being crush to her. He could see her confusion and looked over toward the arrow embedded in the red fabric of the Hi nezumi no kawagoromo, his fire rat usually impregnable save for Kikyo's sacred arrow. "Can you pull it out?" There was an audible gasp from in the distance as Kaede heard his request of the raven haired child. She looked at the arrow in question as she ran his words in her mind. He had threatened her, but at this moment she felt that dying slowly like she was sure she would be against the centipede's strong hold on them..

"Don't ye do it child!" Kaede yelled to her, commanding her. Kagome looked back over at the older woman. She didn't owe anyone here loyalty just yet. She didn't know any of them that well. Kaede could see her indecision.

"Feh," Inuyasha spat. Kagome gasped again. She didn't have time for this as she reached up higher, her clothing that was confined against her by the demon trying to squish them making the task harder.

"Kagome! Do not free Inuyasha!" Kaede wasn't super sure that the younger female could do it, but just in case she actually could release the half demon she didn't want to chance it. "He will kill us all!" Kagome didn't heed her words, her own mind reflecting on the irony of her situation and the words spoken so rarely in her time came to mind.

"Damned if I do and damned if I don't," she muttered as her hand grasped the arrow. Inuyasha looked at her perplexed. She hadn't even hesitated in grasping the arrow even presented with the fact that he wanted to kill her and take the jewel she still began to pull on the wood of the arrow. Kaede was still yelling at her, but grew quiet as Inuyasha yelled back at her, his tone cold and uncaring.

"What is that old woman?!" His eyes narrowed as he felt the pull of the arrows head moving in his body. "You want to be food for that thing?!" He motioned with his head the centipede that was almost done evolving into her fully powered form. He was going to say something to the girl in front of him but her eyes shut as she pulled once more, harder than the time before. In a flash the arrow dissolved into thin air, Inuyasha smirking almost darkly as his body pulsed full of life. It was as if he had been in a coma and his body was itching to rediscover its strength. With a growl of delight the Hanyou burst out of his restraints, while at the same time his demonic aura burst forth. It pushed the body of Mistress centipede away from the pair, large chunks littering the skies and ground, Kagome falling forward as air was quickly push out of her lungs with an 'oomph', more parts crashing around her without much notice from the winded female. He cackled and cracked his bones as he stretched out his kinks. "Ah, looks like I get to make you eat your words ya bitch!" The demon lunged forward with a curse.

"Brat!" she growled charging back at him as well as she could with missing body parts behind her, her once long body now missing a chunk. Inuyasha smirked as he pulled back his right hand, his fingers forming crackling as he threw his arm forward.

"Iron reaver, soul stealer!" he yelled as his claws tore the centipede apart from front to the very last part of her green hide. As he stood there Kagome watched him, the body of the female demon falling around him, blood from the body still falling on them like rain. She attempted to get up as the Hanyou continued to observe his work. As she stood in awe of his power she heard a noise to her right and saw the legs of the thought dead demon move slightly. Letting out a squeak she fell back.

"It is stilllll moving," she gasped, still regaining her senses. Kaede came up beside her.

"Quickly, find the glowing flesh or soon she will regain her demonic form," she instructed. At the confused sound that flew out of the girl's lips she clarified. "The Shikon no Tama is in her bludgeoned form and will allow her to come back to life until it is removed from her." Looking quickly, her disgust of the demon coming back to life making her want to heave. Pointing to a body part not six feet from the group she barely managed to tell them it was there. Kaede walked over and removed the pearl from the body and with a hiss the body began to smoke, steam rising from it's bones. Looking at the bones of Mistress Centipede lay there, the only testament to the life of the demon who had brought her to where she was. Now sitting in the blood stained grass being handed the Shikon no Tama, its light still brilliant.

"Demons are going to be wanting it?" she questioned softly as she stared at the jewel in her bloody hands, her mind a blank slate as everything around her disappeared. She couldn't hear what Kaede was saying, tho there was sound, just static-like sound.

"Kagome...Kagome, are you listening?" the elder Miko inquired looking at the female staring unblinking at the jewel in her hand. At first it seemed as if she would never stop staring, so lost into the jewel's depths but then Inuyasha's voice tore thru her thoughts.

"And unless you want to become like that bitch over there and feel my claws tear your apart then I would suggest," he said coming closer to the group, the villagers taking a fearful step back. "You give me what belongs to me." Her eyes grew wide at the fact that not only had he threatened her for the second time, but it had gotten a bit too graphic as she felt her stomach drop.

He really means to kill me? I mean I knew he threatened but...seriously?! He stopped in front of them as Kaede moved closer to the young girl, warning her to never give the Hanyou in front of them the cursed jewel. Kagome gulped, her throat working to pass the lump that had formed. He's not here to save me? Inuyasha was starting to get irritated with the two females in front of him, tho the girl was really pissing him off, her brown eyes so like the other female he had allowed to lie to him. Her scent, tho slightly different than that of the priestess, was pissing him off.

"Time's up, wench!" Jumping over to her, his claws swiped down, the ground where the girl had sat crumbling before her wide eyes. This wasn't going to be any better than with the centipede. She wasn't going to just give it to him and began to run from him toward another hill. As she was making a turn, her ankle twisted and she fell forward, the grass staining her uniform top even more, mixing with the blood from her and the previous demon. "I'll make sure it's quick," he growled as his claws flew over her fallen form, just missing her head by mere inches as her hair was chopped off. She scrambled to her feet again, her chocolate eyes turning toward her predator.

"You're really trying to kill me?! Why?!"

"That wasn't a good idea," a villager commented as they followed behind the older Miko as Kaede rushed to Kagome's aide, a necklace made of maroon beads interlocked with what appeared to be the yang symbol, ironically. "What are you doing?" the same villager inquired as they watched Inuyasha again make a swipe for the raven haired child. She managed to dodge, but as his claws ripped thru a tree it fell on her leg, knocking her down yet again. The jewel flew from her fingers and hit the ground with a resounding 'clink' like glass. He jumped over her, his fire rat robe flapping around him as he aimed again to hit the now immobilized Kagome. As he came crashing down the sound of chanting came from the direction of Kaede, the female making a symbol with both of her hands, bright lights shooting forward toward the half demon. The lights intertwined and formed a necklace around the surprised Inuyasha. He looked down as the color of the maroon beads returned and he stopped short.

"What the fuck is this shit?!" he growled as he began to tug on the necklace, trying to remove the offending jewelry. Kagome grabbed the jewel and moved away from the Hanyou.

"Kagome! A word of subjugation now!" The female turned to the older lady as Inuyasha once again, forgetting the necklace at the old lady's words.

"Subjugation? Me?!" he laughed in surprise and the incredibility of such a thing happening.

A word? To subjugate him? Her mind went blank at that thought, no words coming to mind. Again she was told to find a word to quiet the Hanyou that was getting closer to her and still nothing filled her mind with an answer as she was brought down for the third time, this time the jewel flying from her hands as the ground fell out from underneath her. It hit the bridge that was about seven feet from her and Inuyasha rushed over her to grab it. In mid-flight his ears twitched as she muttered several words, but none of them loud enough for him to hear as he landed just a foot from the jewel that still slowly rolled forward on the worn wood planks that made the bridge. What word would work? The jewel was rolling closer to him, his ears still twitching.

"Osuwari!" she screamed and like that the dog demon found himself planted firmly and flatly on the bridge, a pink like fading from the necklace that hung from his neck. The sting from hitting the wood didn't faze him, tho it did quiet him. His eyes narrowed into thin lines as he sat back up and began again to grasp at the beads, his hands pulling it as far as it would go and that was no further than his nose.

"What the fuck is this shit?! What'd you do old lady?!" he growled getting up again. "Give me the jewel ya bitch!" Kagome's eyes widened and she threw him a look of absolute death, his step faltering for a second as her mouth opened and yet again that word was spoken.

"Osuwari!" she practically seethed out. Not only are you trying to kill me, but now you're calling me a bitch?! We'll see about that happening again. She got up and followed Kaede back to the practically destroyed village, some of the villagers having already begun rebuilding a few roofs in the moonlight. Inuyasha lay in the ground as everyone abandoned the area to his rising anger and frustration.


	4. Chapter 4

The skies broke with brilliant lights, the red and yellows mixing to create an orange-ish hue that grew stronger and stronger as the sun rose higher over Inuyasha's Forest and the little village that sat next to it. There was no silence in the village that day tho as the villagers continued repairs that had started the night before, most of them still working hard to assist their neighbors in completing their straw, and wooden roofs. The ones on roofs looked over at the rising sun while other villagers, children and woman peeked into Kaede's hut where three people sat, one in complete silence as the older woman recounted the misery of the very jewel that rested around Kagome's neck. The very same woman was leaning over, her bloodied clothing torn and yet it was pulled up to reveal her right side, the site where the Shikon no Tama had been torn from her very flesh. Wincing Kaede continued to apply salve and other herbs to the puckered flesh.

That's gonna scar, she winced again.

"Let me get ye some more medicine and herbs to your wound," Kaede said as she further examined the spot. "It seems that we are cursed again with that pearl of unholy energy." In front of the pair of females lay Inuyasha on his side, his golden eyes glowering at the pair even if he didn't look back at them. He listened with peaked interest at their conversation.

What does that old woman 'again'? As far as he knew Kikyo was supposed to be guarding that jewel and he was supposed to be taking it for his own purpose, but even with Kikyo near him he couldn't take it...and not for lack of trying the night before but because of the accursed beads that lay around his neck. He looked down at it with a sneer. Just his luck to be stuck with such a stupid trick. Again Kaede spoke, her voice harsh and yet at the same time it held a sad note to it.

"There will be many a being that will come for that accursed thing," she muttered as she finish her treatment of the girl. He still didn't know who she was, but she made his heart both hurt and made his anger rise. She didn't belong here! She had no right to hold the jewel that would give him his one wish! The one that he needed more than anything. He was tired of being part human! Again he could feel the rage towards his parents, toward his former flame and towards the female still sitting close to him.

I am a question to the world

"You mean Youkai?" she inquired looking over at the quiet male beside her. She still wondered what he was, his ears twitching with every word that was whispered from the crowd that stood at the door looking on in confusion and a little bit of fear. They watched Inuyasha and he could smell it all. The fear of his presence, tho he wouldn't blame them for that. They should be afraid of him after the last time he paid their little village a visit.

Not to long ago either, he thought with a smirk as Kaede continued.

"Not just Youkai, but humans with evil in their hearts will come after it. It would give them power as it does the Youkais who would want to possess it." At those words the strange female looked to him, an innocent question slipping past her lips.

"Why do you want it? The jewel, I mean," she clarified at his quick glace to her before looking away. Her chocolate eyes made him wary, as if he were looking at Kikyo again, her own brown eyes always looked lost in thought and even when she had been unaware of his wants she had still looked at him like that. It was as if she was trying to read his soul. "You're strong enough without that jewel." He still ignored her, his eyes only flashing in warning at the words that left Kaede.

"It is because he is a Hanyou," she stated simply. There was no malice behind her words, no real emotion really just a simple statement on his genetics. She seemed confused as to what that was and that did peak his curiosity about her. All humans knew what a Hanyou was and stayed just as far from him as full fledged Youkai.  
"In this warring time if someone possessed the Shikon no Tama they could have all its spiritual powers and would be granted their greatest desires." Kagome's eyes widened at that. She looked down at the jewel glowing brightly around her neck.

My greatest desire would be to go home. She touched it softly. Could it really be that easy? Shaking her head she knew it would not. There was no way she could get back home that easily.

'THUNK" The ground in front of her shook, wood chippings flying around the now pissed off looking Hanyou as piece of wood hit Kagome's right leg. She looked at him in shock at the thunderous expression on his face.

"You keep talking like you know me, old woman!" he growled, his eyes flashing brightly for a second. Kaede didn't even flinch, her eyes remaining down as she calmly put her left over herbs and supplies in the basket near her feet. The villagers on the other hand took a step back but still didn't leave. It was probably the rosary around his neck that lent them that courage, but he could care less at this moment. He wanted to know how this old woman, whom he had never seen before knew him. "You keep on spitting out details that you should keep to yourself, witch." She now looked at him, her sadness swimming under the look of her brown eyes looking at him with little shock.

"Not surprising that you don't remember me, Inuyasha. It has been a long time since you were alive, no awake, to see me grow up." It was his turn to look a little confused as Kagome watched the interaction. "I was but a child the last time I saw you. I am Kaede, the little sister to the one who sealed you to that tree." He whispered her name, a face not coming forth at once, but in little pieces like a puzzle that usually took forever to put together but then closing his eyes he could see Kikyo in the woods gathering herbs, a little brown haired child at her side, the little girl holding onto a basket tightly as she looked out around the pair.

"Kaede." It was simply her name but both females could tell that he remembered her.

not an answer to be heard

"It has been fifty years after all," she murmured as she stood, tho a little slowly, her age showing. "As time has passed so shall I have aged in that time." Inuyasha looked thoughtful for a moment and Kagome was sure he was remembering that time and also digesting that he had been gone for sooooo long, sealed to the God Tree. But then his look changed to one of glee. It almost scared her with how happy he looked to hear that that much time had passed.

"So, than Kikyo is an old hag as well," he stated leaning slowly onto the wall of the hut. "Sucks to be human, doesn't it?" he said as his eyes began to shut. The silence didn't last long as Kaede opened her mouth to give him more solemn news.

"Kikyo died, Inuyasha," she almost spat, her tone tempered with sorrow for the loss of her sister and bitterness toward the Hanyou that sat before her mocking the age of the older Miko. Kagome would have missed it had she not been watching the male now to her side. In his eyes flickered with pain and then it was gone. "It was the moments that followed your sealing to the tree. She used the last of her energy, the last of her breath, to seal you there before she passed." She seemed to pause in confusion. Kagome raised a brow at her look, but then a slight chuckle was heard to her left. She looked back to the Hanyou.

"Serves her right, the dumb bitch," he spat. "Karma." Kagome's eyes widened but she didn't believe his words, the pain that had been there for but a second confirmed to her his love for the dead Miko. Kaede smiled almost sadly tho you could tell she was about to drop another bit of information that might rile the male next to her.

"Ah, but don't be to happy, Inuyasha as I believe that Kagome here might be my sister's reincarnation," she supplied. "And it's not just her looks that make me believe that." The male in question looked at Kagome and then both looked to Kaede. "I believe the best proof is the fact that the jewel was in your body, as Kikyo had it burned with her body." She looked thoughtful again, almost confused as her words spilt from her lips. "Tho, it was supposed to stay in the netherworld as she wished it to be." It was true that the jewel could grant a wish and Kikyo had refused to use the cursed stone to wish for her life to spare, instead opting to take it from the Earth for the safety of those innocents that roamed the world with the evil that inhabited it. "And now you, Kagome," she said looking sternly toward the girl from Tokyo. "It is your task to now protect the Shikon no Tama."

Eh, you mean my obligation. She sighed. An unwanted obligation. True, it was unwanted but she looked down at it in confusion. "I'm not special so why am I in charge of it? I never asked for this." Kaede nodded, knowing that feeling all to well. Getting up she walked out of the hut, unaware that Inuyasha followed her for a few seconds before rushing off in the opposite direction, a sneer on his young face. Walking along the paths that lined the village as the rest of it was covered in fields that the villagers were working, most of the work on huts complete with just a few more roofs to finish. In her time it wouldn't have taken so long for the roofs to be completed and the huts repaired, but with the fact that the men had to dredge it up from the woods...with demons that could attack at any point... "I don't want to even think about that," she commanded herself out loud. Continuing her walk she began to become nervous as the villagers whispered about her.

"They say she is the reincarnation of Lady Kikyo," one man whispered to small group, all eyes watching her as she passed. Another agreed that she looked noble in appearance and that sent her moving.

Am I being worshiped?  
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As the sun rose higher into the noontime skies a single figure stood out in his red fire-rat robe that was so still it was as if the male were a statue, tho being in a tree threw that idea out the window. The branch didn't bend as Inuyasha moved about to lean against the trunk of the Sacred Tree. He could see the village below, most of it water for the rice to grow, but he could see all the huts and could smell the scents of sweat and rice as well as the smell of the water. He could see it even if he were to close his eyes, but at the sound of something flying thru the air he reached behind him. He pulled his hand around to look at the fruit that had landed in his clawed grasp. He looked down to where it had come from to find the girl from another time. He eyed her and then the fruit still in his hand.

Why am I still holding this? This could be a trick, just another lie from another human... His heart still bore the fresh yet old wounds from his last "friendship" with a human and a human female at that! He noticed that she had a couple of more bags with vegetation and fruits. In one hand she had a bundle of more long vegetation. "What's up with the food?" he inquired, still watching her with agitation and suspicion. She shook her head but told him the source of the food before asking him to come down. He looked skeptical as her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, come on! It's not like I am going to bite you ya know!" She sighed and sat down, waiting for him to come down as she grabbed a fruit and took a big bite. She looked down at the village as he had earlier, but until him she felt no familiarity with it. She didn't know where she was even if she knew what era it was. And what an era to land in! Warring Era and demons to boot. She'd always believed in the possibility of something more magical than the world she had lived in, but she had never imagined that she would be pulled down a well by a monster, a demon that had been dead for hundreds of years! It was unreal. Finally the Hanyou dropped from the tree and eyed her with caution and disgust. He couldn't stand her smell, but he was curious as to if it was true. Was she inhabited by Kikyo's soul?

"What are you plotting there, bitch?" Her eyes narrowed again at the term. It was as bad as calling her Kikyo when she had soooo clearly stated her name. She looked away from him for a moment, trying to get her anger under control. He might be cute with his doggy ears, but he was lacking social skills!

"My name is not bitch," she hissed as she turned to him, the look of murder she threw his way made him want to back up but he refused to move. "It's not KIKYO either," her face was moving closer to his, her lips still spitting venom as she continued. "It is Kagome." With a huff she continued her little rant. "I get that you don't like her, but I am not her!"

"You make me sick!" Inuyasha yelled at her before jumping back into the tree, but only a branch above her as he continued to glower. "I don't care who you are and what you want but I will get the Shikon jewel no matter what I have to do!" She looked down at her fruit, her nails having made little crescent shapes from her hard grip on the item when she had tried to keep her anger in check.

He brings my anger out quite easily, she noted. "You could try to be a little nicer." He scoffed. "Or I could just say osuwari..." 'Crack.' 'Thunk.' She looked over in shock and embarrassment. "Ooops. Sorry, Inuyasha." He groaned from the hole his body had made, the branch he had been sitting on now underneath him on the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

The village was dark, lights out as people snoozed, while one light still was on. Kagome lay on the cot, her body tense to the sounds of nature outside. She couldn't believe she was laying on the ground in a hut in the Warring Era with a Miko whose sister had died because of the very thing around her own neck under the blankets. Sighing she also remembered that there was a half demon somewhere outside the hut waiting for the perfect chance to kill her just to snag the gem. The fire danced behind her, the shadows dancing in sync with it. It had been two days since she had found herself here and she was no closer to figuring out how to get back home. Another breeze blew strongly outside, the flaps on the window and door moved with them, the fire also shuddering at the chill. As she closed her eyes she made the resolution that she would get back to them...somehow.

Above her in the window a black bird resembling a crow cocked its head at her, looking closely as its three eyes burrowed thru the blanket. With a gleam it noted where the energy of the jewel was coming from as its mouth opened to reveal sharp and jagged teeth. As its tail, an almost reptilian appendage, whipped behind it to take flight into the room a rock hit it, blood dripping from the wound as it looked behind it to see golden orbs narrowed on it. In his clawed fingers the shadow held another small pebble, his sneer showing his teeth in the darkness. Almost scolding the male the crow-like creature cawed angrily until the pebble hit him again and with a final squawk it was off into the skies to the satisfaction and disgust of the one who had scared it off.

As the clouds parted and the moonlight struck the figure his eyes almost glowed, his hair shimmering in the light. He sat hunched on top of a fence post glaring at the offending creature as it flew away. He felt a foreboding. Shibugarasu are not pleasant demons. That and there was the fact that if the weaker demons were already scenting out the power of the jewel then it wouldn't be long until the stronger ones came. He didn't need this! He just wanted the jewel so he could be a full fledged demon so why was that something he wasn't to have because of a mere female and a weak one at that? And don't forget the old bitch who put those beads on you! A growling voice hissed from his mind. True. He had two to remove before he could get the jewel. He looked back at the window, the scent of both females assuring him that they were in there and they were asleep, but he didn't move from his spot as he looked back into the starlit skies.  
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Kagome moved thru the forest as quickly as she could. Her body was still sore and the heat of the day was making her movements sluggish. She sighed as she thought back to idea of how to get home. It was the well...It had to be the way to get home since it was where she had come to arrive in the Edo Era, right? It made sense to her and although she wasn't stupid she wasn't the top of the class in any books. Sliding a little as she moved down a slight hill she felt her school shoes slide more, almost falling over a fallen tree. She failed to hear the villagers calling for her as she turned to find a sound behind her, the foliage around her rustling.

"Wh-" she gasped out as a hand covered in what appeared to be armor grabbed her by the face, his fingers over her mouth. She almost gagged at the smell of the person holding her tightly to his form now. She began to fight, her eyes wide as she looked around her at the men before her in their samurai armor, their forms covered in dirt as they leered at her. Glaring at them she bit down on the disgusting appendage that had just moments before covered her mouth. The male let out a grunt and then before she could open her mouth to scream it all went dark.

When she awoke she found herself in a small building, not as small as a hut but it was still small and it seemed to be falling apart. Again she fought against the hands keeping her captive before this time being forced to the ground, her body slammed on her stomach and her face hitting the wood straight on. She let out a sound that was both mixture of a groan and a growl. This era was starting to piss her off more and more. She didn't like how men in this era seemed hell bent on leaving bruises on her body and bones that felt broken from the slam. She managed to get a breath in as she looked around until she felt fingers graze her bottom as one of the hands pulled on her skirt. She shot up with a shout and smacked the hand that had touched her backside.

"Seriously?!" she spat. "What gives you the damn right to touch me like that?!" Behind her the larger male of the group, obviously the boss looked her over, his eyes dazed looking as he slammed his blade into the wooden floor under him, using it to get up from his lazy position on the floor.

"Give me the Shikon no Tama, wench!" he bellowed as he took a swipe before him at the woman looking rather shocked at the swinging blade before her very eyes, but falling back she managed to dodge the blade, tho the male that had been to her right was not so lucky as his head flew from his neck and hit the ground. Wish a squeak she found herself again covered in someone's blood, but this time she sat there mesmerized by the head that stopped just a foot or so from the wooden wall that shook with the force of the large man's swing.

"Okashira!" the men cried out in confusion. "What are you doin' boss?!" He stood there, his sword over his head and behind his head as he rubbed the back of his bald head. And for a moment he truly seemed confused as well as ashamed for a split second before he turned his attention back to the raven haired girl.

"Next time it'll be your neck," he muttered, the venom entering his voice again as a voice in the distance called out, but no one in the building paid it any mind as they squared off. Kagome stood there, her feet apart as she stared up at the still dazed male. She wondered if he had had too much to drink of it was something else that was making the male before her unsteady on his feet. She couldn't smell any booze on his breath from where she stood, but that wasn't to say it was because he might have been to far from her for her to smell it. The other males that had once been ready to hold her in place now backed away from the pair just seconds before his sword came slicing the air and this time it managed to graze her shoulder and part of her hair again. With a cry she hit the floor, her sleeve sliding down while still handing off the other side of intact fabric. She looked afraid now, her arm cut and bleeding out down her slender arm and off her fingers. Gathering the necklace around her fingers she pulled it over her head and of the chain that held it she looked around and seeing a wooden spear just a foot from her she grabbed it while at the same time throwing the jewel out a window, Inuyasha rushing past just moments later and failing to see the jewel as it rolled away and to the edge of the brush.

He glared as her scent hit his nose again as well as another less encouraging smell. 'CRASH' The wall of the building in front of him shook and cracked as a scream filled the air. With a growl he bared his claws and tore the wall completely apart as he crashed thru in time to see several men against the wall, some injured and other untouched by the blade that slide across the floor to him. He covered his nose the sleeve of his fire-rat robe as he looked to where the blade had come from to find the raven haired child under a rather large looking human male, but she was not squashed, the only thing keeping him off her the large wooden spear that was thru his neck, blood leaking off onto Kagome as it puddled around her. She whimpered in disgust at the blood coating her hair and her clothing. His eyes narrowed on the man, the smell that leaked from his rather pale skin making Inuyasha gag again.

"Where's the jewel?" he barked at her form under the other male. She glared at him.

He didn't come for me of course, just that stupid jewel. She blanched slightly at the thought of how he would feel knowing she threw it out the window to distract the large male that was now sliding down the spear, his blood soooo black that when Inuyasha mentioned the smell of death rolling off the still moving male she turned her head as she dry heaved on her left side. "Just get him off me," she whined as one arm moved to try and push the heavy weight off her. Her right arm was still too torn up for her to use, tho she still did try to move it from next to her as he again growled about the Shikon jewel but still moved to assist in removing the body. Before he could reach them tho the male stood, his hands grasping at the spear that was now halfway thru his neck and pulling. It move with a 'gurgle' and more blood spurting forth making Inuyasha gag as the smell grew more powerful. With a quick move he shoved the female away, her body sliding clear across the flood on the spilled blood and against a pole that stopped her movement.

She watched with sick fascination at the male before her as he took a swipe at the towering human. "You're in there aren't you shibugarasu?!" His claws broke thru the armor like it was nothing, his hand going into the opening of flesh. Blood squelched out and onto his clothing, but she just watched as a weird looking crow squawked at him in anger as it took off, the body it had once inhabited falling back to the shock of the other men in the room that their boss was dead. He turned back to her as the crow circled something and the men talking as well as they themselves ran outside of the building. The fight had been quick but only because of Inuyasha's keen sense of smell. Now he was back to his business. The jewel. "Where is the jewel, wench?" Her eyes opened wide as she pointed outside where the crow was now diving down, his craw opening up to consume the jewel with one hard swallow before it took off with one final caw. He grabbed the spear she had used on the dead man behind them and tossed it as hard as he could but only managed to swipe the air under it's large legs.

Inuyasha looked around quickly as Kagome ran out the door, her brown eyes watching the creature take off, its body growing slowly at first. Inuyasha came barreling out the building with a quiver and bow. He tossed them to her with one hand with his other tossed her onto his back with the flick of the wrist. Kagome sputtered angrily as she tried to grab the two items while trying not to fall off the half demon as he didn't pause in his actions, not giving her a chance to even hold on as he took off. She tried to spit his hair out of her mouth as she held on tighter, her legs not wrapping around him fully but enough to keep her on.

"What the hell do you want me to do with these?!" she asked, incredulous at the fact that this male would hand her such a weapon. "I have nooooo experience with these things!"

"I bet you don't know, but that bastard that ate the fucking jewel feeds only on humans," he stated, her eyes going wide. "Just imagine with what happened with the demon not so long ago that was allowed that same privilege?" His words were hissed with venom staining certain words that made her growl at his pointing fingers at her for the fact that not one but TWO demons had been allowed to feast on the pearl that he himself wanted. "Wouldn't want that happening, would you?" She shook her head but again reiterated that she didn't know how to even use a bow and arrow as she had only seen it on TV. He looked confused as to what she was talking about but still spat back at her, "Kikyo was an excellent shot! She was stronger than you too!" Her eyes flashed coldly at his mockery of her person.

"And I am not her!" she huffed out. He almost seemed proud of the other woman while he belittled her. "I will try, tho." Looking up she watched with the same revulsion as when the centipede had swallowed the jewel, that this crow also finished gulping down his prize. With a prayer for help from her reincarnation she aimed the arrow, holding the bow string taunt to assist in shooting her target she released the arrow. Strangely as it flew in the air a thin pink light seemed to shine on it for a moment, but it still fell short and so did she as Inuyasha dropped her with a growl in her direction.

"You aren't her at all!" he accused to her irritable gaze as she sat there before him with her legs bent down in front of her as she pulled at her skirt in an attempt to cover her legs further. "I can see it now! She wasn't just stronger, but she was prettier than you!" Her eyes widened for a moment as she took in his insult. That arrogant bastard had dared to insult her because of his own issues with the fallen Miko and Kagome was going to let him have it too when a scream echoed around them from the village below.


	6. Chapter 6

ow the hell'd we wind up like this?

Kagome, now holding her arm, the blood having slowed, but still continuing to dry as it dripped down her paled skin. She ignored it as she rushed down to where the screaming was coming from, Inuyasha running after the bird. They both arrived at the cliff and watching as the bird grew bigger, its now over-sized claw the size of the boy's head that it was grabbing, the child's mother trying to keep the boy with her. With a mighty flap of its expanding wings it blew her off, taking to the skies with its meal. Kagome knew that she couldn't go down the hill fast enough, but looking at the half demon male next to her she wasn't going to ask him for help. With a gulp of air she took off down the hill, her feet unable to keep up with her momentum flew out from under her. She expected the ground to greet her along with the taste of grass she knew she would be eating, but instead she was greeted with another mouthful of Inuyasha's mane.

"What a-are you doing?" she spit out as she continued to try and remove his hair from her mouth. He just let higher toward the crow, ignoring her question. He lashed out, the child just shy of where he was aiming making her shake with anger and fear for the child and the male's disregard toward the young child's life. She pushed at him, to force him to miss the child and unfortunately the crow got away as well. He felt a slight burning sensation where her hands had touched him, the girl falling off his back in an attempt to grasp the child. Luckily for her Inuyasha struck out again, his claws spearing the bird and tearing it's body apart as she hit the water. The craw of the monster was still active tho as it dove for the pair of humans in the water.

"You bitch!" he bellowed at her. "What do you think you're doing interfering with me!?" Seeing the monster get close to devouring the pair he let out a huff as a bit of panic hit him from nowhere. Swiping one more time split the creature's facial features. Kagome managed to gasp a bit of air into her mouth as she disappeared under the flowing waters, the child still in her arms as the villagers ran to the bank to look for the pair. Inuyasha landed on the opposite side, his distaste for the humans before him reflected in his stance. He did look toward the water for a second before he saw the bird reviving in the air and taking off, the jewel still gleaming in his body. "Hey! Get the damn jewel!" he commanded to the waters below as she pulled herself out and toward the bank. He looked down at her angry with her for not only keeping him from getting the jewel by slicing the monster up but because even now she just stood up, the water falling off of her as she glanced back at him with a very regal glint of anger in her own chocolate eyes. She then snubbed him as the child and the villagers before her praised her rescue of the young child.

"Ah! Ahhh!" the child whined as his body began to tug back in an almost upward direction.

Try and turn the tables

She yanked the offending claw off the child's back and turned to where Inuyasha was chasing a re-forming mass of body parts as the bird continued to fly away. It was then that it hit Kagome and she glanced around until she noticed a couple of horses close by, one with a quiver and bow on its harness. Looking toward the men closest to her she inquired as to if she could use the items. They nodded, dumbfounded with her query.

"There's no way she could hit that," one of the men said drawing the attention of not only the villagers close to her, but Inuyasha also looked toward her with skepticism. She paid him no mind as she tied the leg of the bird to the middle of the arrow, her eyes squinting to see her target. It was too far for her the make out its features, but she could still see his outline enough to make a shot.

"Please hit!" she whispered to the arrow as a faint pink shimmered on the arrowhead. Releasing it she held her breath as it flew high, almost turning toward the offending creature that held the Shikon no Tama. She continued to whisper quietly like a chant to her arrow that burned really bright as it hit the bird, shocking all around her. She almost cheered, but then the skies above her changed from their dusky form of reds, pinks, purples and blues to a bright pink that blinded everyone who was so close up. Farther away from them Kaede stood on the hill of the village and her eyes widened in disbelief at the light that filled the skies in front of her. A sense of doom washed over her at the resounding 'craaackkk' that filled the small valley. That didn't sound good. Inuyasha's eyes twitched as the light separated, like shooting stars that didn't just fall from the heavens as the lights streaked outward, shimmering in the setting sun's rays. The raven haired girl rush off toward where she could see the light fading into the distance, but it was the closest one to her. The half demon's dog ears twitched as he heard her rush off and off he was now wondering why the girl had looked so worried. Scenting her out he found her in a clearing looking around, now biting her bottom lip with her top teeth.

Someday, somehow

Kagome picked thru the leaves and grass as Inuyasha entered the clearing where she was rooting around. "What are you doing, wen-" his voice dropped at the look on her face, a sweat drop slipping from under her raven hair, trailing down her paling flesh as she pulled a shining piece of something from the ground. "I-Is that what I think it is?" he growled out in anger as he soon felt a depressive note in her stance as she nodded solemnly. "What the fuck did you do you bitch?!" he howled at her, the girl shooting him a glare, tho her fear darkened her gaze.

"I-I didn't m-mean to," she stuttered out. "I was just tryin-" She felt her shoulders sag further. First I bring this thing back to where I definitely should not have, she thought looking over at the peeved Hanyou. Not he's making me feel any better! I was just trying to save the village and keep that thing from coming back again like Kaede told me to do with Mistress Centipede! "It's not like I did it on purpose she spat." Looking down at the jewel she knew right then that since it had become her task, her obligation, to protect the strange pearl and it had been her fault the thing had shattered...Well, that meant that she needed to put it back together, her body shivering at the thought of all the specks of light she had seen fly past her. How many monsters would she have to fight to get those shards back. Her fingers closed around the shard of light as she grew more determined. Tho, hopefully with them being shards they aren't that powerful.  
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Inuyasha sat far from the two females, one an older Miko that looked the shard in her old fingers and handing back to Kagome shot him a look. "What did you do to the Shikon jewel?" he hissed questionably. She looked down at the jewel shard. The once magnificent looking pearl was now just several, possibly hundreds of shards of pink glass. She felt so bad for what happened because had acted on impulse and maybe because he had insulted her, hurting her pride. She made be a child in his eyes and well, all of the people in this era, but damn it, in her era she was treated as more of an adult. At only the age of 15, almost 16 she would have been allowed a job in her time. She would have been allowed to date and express herself whereas here she had few liberties.

"Stop ye howling, Inuyasha," Kaede scolded. "She has made a mistake and she is well aware of it, but it also you who are in the wrong." His golden orbs narrowed on her, a growl low in his throat. "I know what you are thinking, Hanyou and you should have realized that getting that jewel back was going to be difficult and yet your refuse to assist her in retaining it. "

I'm gonna make it alright but not right now

Kagome shook her head at this, almost aggressively. "No, I did it. I didn't think about what would have happened...when I used the arrow to stop the monster." The Hanyou was shocked by this, but then that changed to frustration at her next words. "I can fix this tho," before shooting a look at the silver haired half demon. "Without bothering others with my obligation." Kaede didn't like what she was saying any more than Inuyasha was, who now looked even more perturbed at the girl from the future.

"I sti-" Inuyasha began only to be cut off by the older Miko's warning to the other female as if she had heard Kagome's earlier thoughts.

"Even with one shard a demon can gain exponential powers and cause havoc where ever it may be!" That was something else to weigh on the younger female's mind. How long would it take to gather the shards and how far would she have to travel to retrieve them all.

I'm not even trained to use a bow much less how to fight! She was fast enough, with her own era having P.E., a course that she excelled in. She had some muscle, but mostly in her legs. Could I get most of them by just getting there fast enough? No, I would wear myself out before than. She wished she had a car or even her bike, tho the car would be completely unusable in this era with no gas or anything to maintain it on the possible long trip. "What about that light? The pink stuff coming off my arrow?"

"That is your purifying powers, tho for you to be be able to use it with so little training I am surprised it didn't just blow the arrow to pieces." Kagome raised a brow at that. Powers? She had powers? "I should train you, but we don't have the time for that right now with how fast demons and humans will move to obtain the jewel shards." She looked to Inuyasha who had remained quiet for longer than she thought he would, tho he would probably put up a fight at her next words. "Inuyasha, ye and Kagome must work together to put the pearl back together!" The woman in question paled at that thought. She didn't want to work with the Hanyou, tho not because he was a half demon, no. She didn't find that off putting, but she would rather not work with someone who was so prejudice against her just because she resembled a long dead girl. No, that wouldn't be a great idea. Even Inuyasha seemed to be against it and for a shockingly weird reason. She would have thought he would have done anything to get that power.

"Uh, ain't you forgetting, you old hag," he hissed, his venom lightly hitting their ears. "I am one of those bad demons out there that want the Shikon Jewel." Kaede just shook her head at the pair. "I will look for them on my own, without the aid of humans."

Or the aid of the girl who looks like his lost love, Kagome finished in her own mind. "I just want to get this over with and go home," she grumbled.  
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The wind was low that afternoon when Kaede stoked a fire in a small pit, a river flowing peacefully behind her. On the hill where none could see the river behind the trees the villagers worked, gossip flying from their lips.

"I heard that Kagome-sama is having a purification ceremony," one younger male stated, tho his gaze never journeyed to the place over the hill. "You think she is doing it to boost her powers?" Another man shook his head at the thoughts of the young male. He himself was older, more into the respectful treatment that was to beholden to one such as Kagome, her Miko powers something to praise.

"If any man were to peep on that he would be struck down by the divine powers of the heavens," he warned before going back to his farming. In the distance in the God Tree was a familiar form, his golden eyes watching the villagers, tho from his vantage point he could also see the small form of Kagome who had her body under the water. Her head was the only thing that hovered over the moving waters. She shivered as a whimper left her blue tinged lips.

I can't believe there is not a single hot spring around here! Even with the knowledge that she was losing feeling in her extremities she dared not to leave the water. Kaede looked over at her, concern for the girl who was literly freezing to death in the river.

"Come on child," she called out as Inuyasha himself moved closer in curiosity of the raven haired female's strange actions. Not even he would have gone in an ice cold river or lake. "It is much too cold to be in those waters," she warned just before Kagome dove under, her raven hair swirling behind her as she swam around for a bit. She could barely feel the chill as she moved, but she could feel her lips start to shake and so she broke the surface of the lake with a little splash of water. Looking up as the feeling of being watched found her peeper to be none other than Inuyasha. He looked pissed off and his eyes glittered with something she couldn't quite pinpoint, but knowing that her breasts were on display for him forced a shriek and the word that he despised slip from her lips.

"Osuwari!" With a resounding 'thud' the male was gone, his face buried in the dirt of the hill, the grass and dirt flying around his prone form. She sighed as she moved to a place behind a tree to see the Hanyou was now several feet from Kaede, his form still half prone. First he was just mean and now he's a pervert... Shaking her head at the thought of ever thinking of working with the male in question she looked back at him. "You f- You pervert!" she yelled to which the male growled.

"Listen bitch! I was not peeping on you!" Kaede shook her head as the word spilled from Kagome's mouth again and Inuyasha found himself back in the dirt. Both women could hear his muffled voice, tho neither knew what he was saying.

"I believe he was after this," the old Miko stated, holding up the fragment. Kagome huffed and disappeared behind the bush as Inuyasha sat up, the struggle to do so as the beads still had light in them. He hated the stupid necklace, but the fact that she seemed to think that he wanted to see her pitiful form was making him even more pissed off by the second. "I thought ye didn't care about the child," she stated.

"I said I would work with the bitch, didn't I?" he hissed to the other female.

"Ye act as if ye really have a choice," came the swift reply.

I really don't but that doesn't mean I am going to admit that to her. It was then that Kagome came out and Inuyasha found his mind going back to another time. There she stood in an outfit that made her look too much like Kikyo and she didn't seem to care. "W-What do you think you're doing?" he questioned as his eyes narrowed. The traditional attire of a miko, a pair of red hakama, and a white kosode adorned to the raven haired child. Tho her hair was not the same length that Kikyo's had been the white ribbon that held her raven hair back was making her look more and more like her predecessor. It was then that a woman from the village came in search of Kaede, the woman's young child walking behind her as her babe lay across her back in a sling. Upon hearing the lady's plea to check on her other child, her daughter, who had passed out so suddenly she excused herself from the pair.

"I shall head back now," Kaede stated. "Try and be civil you two." Kagome glared at him as Kaede headed off, his face turned from her, but his eyes were staring in her direction.

"You hate me that much?" she whispered harshly. "Y-You don't ev-" She was cut of as Inuyasha turned slightly to her, his golden eyes darkened.

"Take off your clothes," he hissed.


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome, who had been standing close to him as she checked on her wet clothes that were set to dry on a stick positioned over the edge of a fire, looked over at him. Her eyes burned like melting chocolate that had burnt into a mess and that burning getting brighter at his suggestion as her cheeks joined in. "You fucking pervert!" Now her temper had never been something to behold very often, but he even could tell she was a rival in that department. It almost made him rethink the fact that he would have to go with this disgusting female to find the shards, but in that moment his opinion of her changed again as he found himself not only thrown forward by the force of her striking him with the large stick but her wet clothing also managed to slap him as well.

"It's not like I told you to get naked!" he growled pulling the clothing off his face to throw at her. "Just put your own stupid clothing on, bitch!" Her eyes blazed at him and him being who he was just didn't seem to get it.

And again with that god damn word! "Osuw-" and she stopped as she realized why he was so upset, tho it didn't quell her anger. She let a smirk inch up her lips as he stared at her, uncertain as to what she was doing and as well as to why she hadn't used the word on him this time. His golden eyes searched her own brown orbs, but came back with nothing. He wasn't a man about town, and besides Kikyo he had not had very many interactions with females, much less human ones. "It's because I look like her," she stated matter of factually and irritated at the same time. "You need to get over that unless every time we run into each other you want find yourself in a hole." His ears twitched at her threat or was it just-

"Run into each other?" he asked. "You're going to assist me in finding the shards," he stated confidently. She shook her head at him. "You can't fight against a human so what makes you think you can do this by yourself?"

"First off I am going home so I don't have to worry about any strangers coming after me for something NO ONE cares about in my time and as for demons," she spat. "They don't even exist in my time." Tho she had resigned herself to the fact that she would be collecting the shards she really wanted to go home first. Kagome was sure that her family was beyond worried about her. "Not that it matters as you and are not working together. You didn't want that and I most certainly do not want to be around someone-" she paused for a moment. This male was a stranger to her and although she thought he was kinda cute she was still sure she didn't need to be giving him so much personal information. "Never mind." This made the Hanyou even more curious about this female, but when she started to walk away from him again, this time her arms laden with her moist clothing.

"Fine! I never needed your help anyway!" Kagome felt her lips turn down in anger, but she blew it off by telling him "good luck" and headed back to the village only pausing as Inuyasha rushed over to her calling out, "Hey, wench, wait up!" She looked at him in front of her now, her patience with the male extended for only a second. "Give me the shard."

"Osuwari!" she whispered before she continued on her way, his name for her whispering past her ears from his hole in the earth. "I think not." And with that she disappeared from view as he struggled to remove himself from said hole.

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Meanwhile in the village Kaede stood at the door with the female villager, her eyes straining into the darkness of the hut. The fire was out and the form of the younger girl was shadowed in the back of the room. She could be heard breathing deeply, in a slumber but something was bothering Kaede that she dared not to take a step into the room. With a shift of her old body she turned to the mother and child behind her. "Leave!" The woman looked at her in question. "Get ye and yours away from the hut!" The girl's body before them sat up, her body not bending in any real natural way and her hands were almost lacking bones in the way they lay down while her arms were up almost forming a 't' shape.

"She's floating," the mother stated in a fearful voice with a tad bit of worry. What was wrong with her daughter? Her child? They watched as the girl began to float a bit, her legs hanging still below her and that was when Kaede saw it.

Hair? her mind clicked as to what was so wrong with the child before them. She was possessed by hair! But what was possessing the hair that she could see strung from the child's wrists? What was the intent of this thing? A blade began to float, the wooden handle bound with hair, the light from outside streaking it with light. Shoving the blade into the girl's fingers, the hair than manipulated the girl to charge forward.

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The birds were silent around the forest, the forest itself was calm and yet filled with demons that lurked in the shadows that even the animal life had gone quiet. Looking around her, her brown orbs taking in all around her and soon she found herself back at the well that she had come from just days prior. Edging closer to it she could see the marks from the fight with Mistress Centipede and the scars from Inuyasha's attacks. Blanching she could also see the blood that had dried to the wood and some larger splatters on the forest floor itself. Blood didn't really bother her...too much anyways. Her era was filled with gore riddled movies and games even had the splatter with such sound effects that made you wince. She was sure that it was just the fact that it was tied to such a horror filled experience that she had been sure, just before her coming to this time anyway, that she would never have to deal with.

She had always been drawn to fairy tales, as well as knowing gorier tales such as those from the Brothers Grimm, but even those had never really covered demons and half demons! Just evil people and some other creatures such as trolls or something. Shaking her head again she leaned over the well, her eyes taking in the bones at the bottom.

Kaede said that this is the Bone Eater's Well and that they put the discarded Mononoke in it...and surprisingly their bodies just disappeared. A strange thing, but believable as only those resent bones were in there and none else. I'm sure if it didn't do its job then I would never had been able to use it or it... Her thought faded off at the idea of coming here thru a whole pile of demon bones and the jewel that had been once in her body now freed... "And scattered to the ends of the earth," she muttered. With a sigh she sat down on the grass, her back hitting the wooden well's structure. She wasn't ready to go in there with those bones laying there in wait. She knew that she had nothing to fear, well, except for bring that demon back to life with the one jewel shard in a little pouch next to now fluttering heart. She remembered what Kaede had said about a sliver of the shard being quite powerful in its own right. Forgetting the idea of going home, her thoughts interrupted by the sound of a bird crying out before it fell before her. She looked up as several more small birds hit something and fell to her feet. Pushing herself up to her feet she found that she too was struck by something that tore at her skin and clothing. As blood dripped down her face she looked around her, her brown eyes growing wide in fear. "Hair?" she questioned.

Reaching out she almost touched the hair just inches from her face, but a voice brought her to a stop. "So, you can see it little Miko?" Kagome looked up at where the harsh female voice was coming from to find a young woman, no she had to be a demon as she stood on the thin strings of hair that crossed over others around her, the woman's features were so feminine to the point of looking like a living doll. Her black hair was cut short, just below her jawline, but not long enough to hit her petite shoulders. Her clothing was also very...skimpy as it did little but cover her private areas with her cleavage just about busting out from the 'v' of her top. "Alas that seeing them does nothing to deter them from handling my obstacles." With a flick of her right fingers a strand of hair flew and cut a bit of skin from her nose, the blood hitting the ground in front of the Miko. She wanted to step back but she could feel the well behind her and more strands of hair that cut into her top.

"Who are you?!" Kagome cried out. The almost magenta eyes of the female before her danced with mirth at the raven haired child.

I won't give up

I won't give in

"Not that you will be able to remember it," she stated, her eyes going cold and hard, "But it is Yura, Sakasa-Gami no Yura and I shall have the Shikon Jewel and your liiiifeeee!" with that war cry she lifted only one of her hands, the hair attached to each of her fingers flying up and pulling with it the ones that were around Kagome. With a cry of her own, her body glowed a slight pink, tho too faint for anyone to see in the bright light of the sun, but parts of her that were shaded were a different story as the strands ripped at her body, her Miko clothing failing to protect her as crimson bloomed around on the white top. As her body arched another strand yanked the pouch out of her top, landing in the palm of Yura. The raven haired woman looked at the bag in confusion, maybe because it weighed too light to have anything in it let alone the Shikon Jewel. Upon seeing the shard, Yura's eyes grew wide in shock and then narrowed in anger. "What did you do to it you stupid girl!?" she cried, her head turning and the red ribbon that held tight on her head fluttered with the movement.

"Give it back!" Kagome yelled, her temper boiling and with it her confidence as she grabbed the hair that was to her left. Yanking it pulled the other woman closer, but also made her mad as she whipped her hand out, the hair shifting and causing her to fall back.

I wanna try even though I could fail

"Time to die, little one!" was the last thing that Kagome heard as she fell further into the darkness of the well, a bright light of blues and pure white enveloped her. She watched as the other female looked down, her fingers curling on the hilt of her sword. Yanking it out she threw it down the well to the fear of the brown eyed Miko as it hurled toward her before disappearing from her sight as she soon found herself tightly closing her eyes to wait for the pain.

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Yura landed on the edges of well, her eyes wide as her sword came back to her, the weight in her hand confirming it was indeed there, but there was not a drop of blood on it and the bottom of the well now only held some bones. She leaned closer, her body bending in half as she tried to see if the girl was simply hiding under the bones but seeing nothing she rushed off. She had other matters to deal with and even tho her mind wandered back to the raven haired child and who or the better question being what she was.

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Inuyasha jumped thru the trees and onto the tops of other as he thought of the girl saying she was going home and although he didn't know where that was he just was glad she was gone. His mind went back to the sparkle of anger in brown eyes that in truth didn't look like Kikyo. Her eyes had not held any malice when they looked at him. Even from the first time they had met, that night in the forest after she had taken down a demon and had fallen herself. He had been human that night as it was the new moon in the skies. That was probably why she had not seen him in the darkness on the branch halfway from the top. She had been so hurt and although he had no qualms about letting another human die something about the way she had glanced in his direction had caught him off guard. She had known he was a male and perhaps she thought he was a demon for she warned him that if he were after the Shikon no Tama he would die in his efforts. He had found that funny as she was in no shape to fight, but he had told her truthfully, for which he knew not why, that not only did he not know what she was talking about but he had not interest in whatever she talking about.

In his human form he couldn't smell her, but rather her voice changed even if her eyes had not been in his sight he was sure those had softened. He turned now, the sound of villagers calling out for her, her name echoing in the woods around him. That was how he had met her and learned her name just minutes after that. He was so distracted that when felt the energy of several forms around him he had to blink, the women from the village flying toward him like puppets on strings, tho he could only see their limp forms coming with different blade in each of their slender finger. He growled low as he dodged the attacks, tho some of them managed to strike his fire-rat robe, the strikes deflected from his form. "What is wrong with you stupid bitches?!" Knocking them all away from him he heard a groan from further down. Forgetting the women he had knocked out he looked to where a voice was rasping out for him to stop.

"Do n-not..hit..them I-Inuyasha," she rasped from her spot on the ground, blood leaking from a gash on her shoulder close to her neck. He shoved another girl's face into the dirt and headed over to where Kaede lay. "They are not to b-blame..." He looked perplexed at her statement but then taking note of the blood on the ground from just her body he changed tactics.

"Whatcha doin' with all that blood then?" She glowered as best she could with the pain that was radiating from her wound.

"Where is Kagome?" she inquired instead. "You must get Kagome." Inuyasha shook his head, rage filling him with another emotion he refused to acknowledge.

"Ain't doing, ya old hag." He wasn't going to get that child! He didn't need her to help him in any capacity and damned if he was going back to ask her for any sort of help.

If he doesn't get her help with this then... Her thought died at the implication of Inuyasha "helping" the village. The women were now moving again, some with dirt on their clothing and faces from where he had shoved them into the dirt. "You must not harm them!" she strangled out. He glanced at her in irritation. He didn't care about the village people, but for some reason he couldn't fight against Kaede. She after all was from the time when he had been happy and held some part in his past, even if his past had been rather dark toward the end. He was sure she didn't really like him or trust him, which was probably why she wanted the other bitch to come back.

"They almost killed you, did they not," he pointed out, more a statement of the facts than an assumption or question.

"They are being controlled by something in the darkness! Ye must stop the one controlling the hairs that are attached to their wrists!" That at least gave him an idea of what he was supposed to be looking for but he couldn't see anything on the girls. He growled at they came at him again with their weapons held high and yet so clumsily as if they didn't have the strength to hold them. They were quickly taken down, but even holding back he could feel that it was too much as some ended up with a few cuts from their own weapons, but he still could see no hair, as his fingers just hit air every time he swung his claws around to stop them. They problem was that they were too fast at some points. When he thought he got one it would disappear and another would show up behind him, the weapon of their choice swinging down at him. It did give him pause as Kaede yelled at him, "Inuyasha watch out!" When he dodged another swing of a reaper this time he backed up a little far as another girl leapt up high into the afternoon sky. "Run Inuyasha!"

It was too late as he was roped with the invisible hair, several of the village girls swirling around him like a may pole. He didn't have time to react as the feeling of being bound with little room to breath encompassed him. He could feel it tighten around him as his breath was forced out of his lips, but it just seemed to infuriate him further as he began to yank his arms, attempting to separate them so he could continue his fight. "Are you just stupid?!" he yelled out, hoping that whoever was pulling this stunt would hear him in his cockiness. "Even if I can't see this hair that you have bound me with, just having it around me like this allows me the ability to do this!" he cried out as he yanked his body away from the circle the girls had made, yanking himself harder, the hair growing taunt for a moment making him smirk. "I will find out who the fuck is on the other end!" It was then that the hair went slack as Yura on the other end allowed it to grow to his dismay.

He slide to the ground taking the girls with him. He attempted to stand only to find that the hair still held tight. "Now to have your head," Yura hissed as she changed the position of her hands, the hair looking like a rather intricate cat's cradle as she now pulled her hands apart, the cradle moving forward to yank Inuyasha back into a small tree. The trunk groaned at the new weight and the hair tighten again, this time it was around his neck now. It managed to squeeze hard enough to cut his skin, a small bit of blood coming from the scratch. With a growl he pushed off the tree as it found itself as firewood, the hair tearing it apart. Holding his neck Inuyasha looked back at the tree. "Hmmmm," she whispered looking down at her slack hairs.

"That was too close," he muttered to himself as he attempted to sooth the burn, his wound healing rather quickly.

"If you had been a regular human and not a half breed it would have surely done you in," Kaede supplied as she attempted to sit up from her puddle of blood, tho hers had stopped flowing for now. Yura grumbled from her position in the darkness at the loss of adding to her collection while more of the villagers, the men now with weapons of their own making their way toward the two that weren't under her control.

"Damn it! Newcomers," he grumbled as Kaede looked down, her thoughts on where the strange girl had gone.


	8. Chapter 8

In another time the city was bigger, and louder than the past as the noise pollution rose above the tall skyscrapers. The huts were gone and had long been replaced with homes that not only were several stories or even just two flights but also housed more modern items that none of the people in the Edo Era had ever seen. Lights loomed over the streets that were crawling with humans everywhere, just trying to get from point 'a' to point 'b' as car flew down the tar streets that led to nowhere and yet to everywhere. The lights over the sidewalks and on the edge of the roads began to flicker, a hiss of electricity so low that only if you were standing close to one would you have heard it. Down in the suburban area a small, rather cozy looking house stood behind the archway that led most to believe that only a shrine would be beyond that point and although they had a small shrine it also contained a rather rickety looking building that house the well that she had come from several hours prior. She, being a certain female sprawled out on her bed, a rather fat looking feline at her side. She sighed into the pink comforter as if she were depressed, but instead her mind was running a mile minute on her past days that she had spent in the old era. Around her were the signs that she was still transitioning from a child to an adult, being a teen in the midst of it. At the far end of her room, next to the door were old dolls of varying ages and states. Some were new looking, having just been put up for decoration while others were more worn from her extending loving of the stuffed animals or dolls. At the end of her bed was a box with some of those same items along with a few teddy bears mixed in while the other half of her room sported a nice wooden desk that had lacquer on it to keep it clean of stains as well as to keep it maintained to last longer.

Next to it was a nice full length mirror that stood proud in the silver stands that held it in place. She shoved her head back into her comforter again, the smell of fresh laundry making her sigh in contentment. "The Sengoku Jidai," she whispered softly. "Seems so unreal when I am home now, as if it were all a dream." She seemed to be talking to the cat at her side who let out a loud protest to her opinion and she giggled at that thought. Another thought entered her mind, that of a certain dog demon that would super pissed off at her loss of the shard to the woman who had called herself 'Yura' and with a growl she sat up, her movement making her cat upset as it jumped down. He looked at her with disdain for her shuffling around. "I wonder what he's going to do when he sees her?" she wondered, seething. Who cares what that asshole thinks since he says he's so capable of doing it all on his own! She knew that wasn't the case as she was the only one who could sense where the shards were. He could do nothing but follow where she had gone so that left him to hunt something he couldn't see unless it was right in front of his eyes. If it were in another body, like it had been in two now then he wouldn't know where or if it was there. Shaking her head she blew it off. "Doesn't matter now anyway as I am home sweet home and he's stuck back there where he belongs!" She felt a twinge of guilt at that thought and another feeling that crept into her heart, but she again told herself it wasn't her problem, ignoring one feeling and dismissing the other one.

Smacking her hands together in loud manner scared the cat away and left her feeling a little better about the situation. "I am done with thinking about that place, that time and that man!" Running downstairs as her mother called for dinner she found her small family gathered around the table, her brother Sota and her grandfather sitting on one side while her mother placed the last few dishes on the table before setting herself down too. "Jii-chan," she said as she plopped down, her mind distracted by the idea of the well and the creatures beyond it making her turn to her grandfather. "About the sealed well..." she drifted off as she saw her favorite dish, ODEN! "Never mind she said," blowing off the question, but it seemed that her brother who had witnessed her getting drawn into it continued her thought.

"It's not going to open again, is it?" the young child questioned. When her grandfather began to explain that it would not her brother looked skeptical tho she paid it no mind as she waited to eat her favorite meal.

"I have placed many blessed ofudas on the well and the door to that well and it shall repeal the demons or monsters that would try to enter into our time," he stated proudly. He closed his eyes as he reveled in the fact that he would protect his granddaughter with all that he could. It was a sense of pride as he continued, "You should trust in the spells that I have placed for you, Kagome." Opening his eyes he noted the starry eyed female in question staring at the food before her as if it were her last meal.

"She's not listening to you, grandfather," Sota stated with a shake of his head, his dark brown hair shifting slightly with the movement. The older male sighed in defeat. His grandchildren never listened to a word he said, his gifts given to the cat that now looked up at the meal on the small table. No one paid him any mind even though he had such great information pertaining to the past and the items that were stored on the grounds. He knew it all! About the God Tree and all that had happened in the era from which it came and grew in. Yet, his family seemed to take it all with a grain of salt.

"Let's dig in and eat!" she said as she grabbed her chopsticks and did just that, her mouth holding a bit of food as the door behind her slide open with a rather angry 'slam' against the opposing wall. Her family turned, all eyes wide at what or whoever had entered the room. Her head slowly turned, her eyes growing wide in disbelief as her family stared at their guest with mixed feelings. "Inu-Inuyasha?" she breathed out the question, her food falling out of her mouth. Inuyasha stood behind her, his golden eyes flashing at the female that he had come to grab, his eyes never leaving her or acknowledging her family sitting there.

"Who," he growled, the energy around him swirling at his anger, "said you could come back home whenever you wanted?" She felt the anger rise in her chest while at the same time the shock of it all bubbling over.

"H-How... How did you get here?" He grunted at her question, as if she was the most idiotic person he had met, which maybe he thought that.

"The well," he stated. "How else?" he huffed to which her grandfather immediately became indignant at his words.

"You lie," the older man stated, his brows drawing down in a statement of confrontation with the strange male that stood over his granddaughter. Yet there was no denying that he was here and that it could only be the well that had allowed him to join her family at the table. "Those seals have be-" He was cut off as Inuyasha pulled one of those very seals from his hair in annoyance. He held it out, just inches from her grandfather's face.

"These things?" he queried with arrogance tinging the very edges of his soft voice. "These are nothing but paper. Not gonna work against anything." Kagome felt the anger rise again, this time at both her grandfather's attempt and the way that Inuyasha was talking to him. He may be old and had the most long stories that she had every heard, but that didn't mean he could talk to him that way! Her brother looked perplexed as he watched Inuyasha reach out to grasp her upper right arm roughly. She refused to get up, tho she shot him a look. At the twinkle of anger in her gaze he stopped for just a millisecond, but resumed his yank on her arm.

"You do not get to come into my home and act that way!" she snapped. He paid her no mind until she finally stood up, but not to go with him as she stuck her face into his. It was so close that her nose nearly touched his as she stood on her tiptoes to intimidate him. "You can't talk to my family like that either!" In the background her grandfather was crying as he held his torn seal in grief while her brother watched both males in their different moods, but his eyes held stars when they landed on Inuyasha every time.

"Get your ass moving cuz we are fucking going back!" he spat, his language loud in the small room. Her lips moved to say the one word that she knew would stop him but her mother beat her to it, her eyes wide as she moved closer to the strange male.

"Wait!" she cried out and moved to stand in front of Inuyasha, her small frame just a foot or so taller than her daughter. He towered over her, his eyes distrustful and yet unable to say anything about the woman now reaching up to his ears, her brother watching from beside her now. "Are these real?" she murmured as she grabbed at his ears and although she did get to touch them Inuyasha moved back as Kagome berated her mother for the invasion of personal space, tho she herself had done that too upon seeing him.

Tho he doesn't know that since he was out of commission from his sealing to that very tree, she thought as she looked in the direction of the tree outside their very home. "Inuyasha?" she questioned, her mother put out of her mind at the sight of the long, black strand of hair on his shoulder. She reached out as he backed further from her family, Sota pleading to touch his ears as well. Looking back at her he watched her pick at his fire-rat robe, her finger touching nothing that he could see, but she watched in sick fascination as the very long strand proceeded to wrap around her hand, clinging to it weirdly enough, cutting her flesh easily. All watched the blood that leaked down her hand and onto the strand of hair. No one anything about it though they did question where the cut had come from. "You don't see the hair?" she asked as she looked to each person, all of them looking at her as if she had just grown a second head.

"So, she was right," the Hanyou stated with tad bit of shock. "She-" he stopped as she ran away from the group, her mind going into overdrive as she tossed the strand that had cut her off and entered the well house. With a strangled sound she found herself face to face with what could only be described as a wave of slithering hair that encroached onto the grounds of the well house's floor and toward her.

I won't give up, no, I won't give in

"It can follow," she muttered in bewilderment that changed to fear for her family just a few feet away in the house. She had brought this here! She was already feeling the guilt from not only breaking the jewel, but from leaving the Hanyou in the past to deal with something that he had just admitted to not being able to see as she did. Now she had put her loved ones in trouble because knowing the woman on the other end very little she knew that the demon would not care about ending more humans' lives in her pursuit.

"So, as I wa-" she turned on the voice, her eyes flashing in warning. "Wh-aaat's you issue?!" he yelped at the ire that lay in the chocolate orbs that met his own golden ones.

"YOU!" she hissed. "You brought that here!" she shouted as she pointed to the well, the hair still not seen by the Hanyou. When he just looked at her with a strange look she realized that even with it in a mass of shifting waves that he could still not see it.

"Kagome!"

"Nee-chan" Kagome didn't take her eyes off the squirming mass before her as her family called to her. She instead yelled at the male beside her to keep them out. He grunted at her command and almost seemed to want to tell her off, but at the aura of pink that seemed to be seething off her small form he thought better of it. Slamming door shut as Kagome stood there thinking of what to do to keep the mass from coming any further into the future world.

"Stay back!" she yelled to her family that still could be heard from the door behind her. The hair choose to strike then, the wave parting to aim for him on her right as well as herself being flung back as it struck her. "In front of you, Inuyasha!" she cried as she hit the door behind her to the shock of her mother's voice joining in.

"Kagome! Open the door!" her mother begged at the harsh sounds coming from inside the well house. "What's going on in there?!" She ignored their requests and watched at even as Inuyasha cut the hairs, his claws destroying it as it came back just as quickly if not more violent.

"Inuyasha!" she cried as the Hanyou was grasped by all his limbs, her own feeling sore from already being exerted too far from her past injuries, but she still pushed forward toward the captive male. It was then that a strand behind him seemed to glow with an eerie red glow, as if tattling on its link to the hair demon that was behind the attack. With a surge of power, she pushed her legs forward, blood dripping from the hairs slashing manner. It was almost alive with the way it reacted to the pair trying to fight it off. As the hair began to wrap around her waist, the weight of it all pulling her back, she let out a scream as she surged forward with a faint pink light glowing from within again. Inuyasha growled low at the unseen force that seemed to be keeping him away from the female pushing past him. Her hands brushed his hair covered leg as she levered herself off him and jumped toward the strand that seemed to be calling her.

"What are you doin'?" he grunted as he managed to free himself for just two seconds from the ones that held his legs, her warm fingers gone now.

"You have to slice over there! The main strand is over the well!" It was not a good description for the Hanyou and he let her know with a growl and a swipe of the hairs still coming from the dry well. She was in wonder that the hair didn't attack her family that was still behind the door, trying to get to her as she fought to grasp the one strand. Letting out another cry of pain from her waist being twisted by the mass of hair. It felt like her insides were going to be burst under the strength of the hairs, but ignoring that, tho hard was her intent as she finally managed to grab the one hair with both hands. Holding back a whimper at the sharp pain, so much like a paper-cut to her that she knew later it would be bothering her. "Here!" she shouted as the blood dripped down the black strand. Inuyasha, seeing the blood, pushed off with his semi-freed legs toward it. His claws cut the air, the strand splitting apart. Falling to the ground she let out a grunt.

Hmmmm... Inuyasha looked confused and thoughtful at the girl before him, his idea of working alone after their fight long forgotten as he realized he could use her to his advantage. Not only did she make a good shard detector, but he would be able to defeat enemies that used the same ideas as the person who was controlling the hair. He didn't really have another person he could look to for those tasks since Kikyo was gone, tho he was sure she could have filled in that space. With a shake of his head at the idea of working with the woman who had essentially had killed him he noticed that Kagome had gotten up and was climbing into the well, without a backward glance at him. Grumbling at her impulsiveness, knowing that she would eventually get injured or killed if she went on her own with that attitude. So.. we're in a bit of a conundrum here. It was then that the words she had said upon his first meeting with her came to mind as she debated whether to let him free or fight the demon that had pulled her thru the well. Damned if I do and damned if I don't. He jumped in after her form disappeared in a flash of blues and whites.

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As soon as his bare feet hit the bottom of the well, the sounds from the other side of the well hit his ears, or maybe it was the lack of those very sounds that gave him pause. Without much thought to it he pulled off the upper robe of his fire-rat and draped it over the girl to his left, her eyes looking up at him in surprise. But before he could say anything she she shook her head and grasped it as if to pull it off her raven haired head. "You're going to need it," he warned, wondering why she was being so stubborn. "It will keep your weak skin spared from the hairs," he stated at her inquisitive glance and it seemed that she was still thinking about taking it off, but then seemed to heed his words as she whispered a barely audible 'thanks' as she secured it around her so she could begin her tedious climb out of the well. At the gasp of pain that she had tried so hard to hold in at the movement of her still injured arm he grabbed her and threw her on his back, her mouth opening to protest when he shot her a glare over his shoulders. "Just stop." She shut her mouth, the look on her face one of barely concealed anger as well as another that swam deep in her chocolate gaze, but he ignored it as he jumped up, her legs and arms squeezing around his waist and neck respectfully as they flew into the air.  
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Yura sat, crossed legs, on a large bed of skulls, the millions that littered her forgotten as she held one in particular in her left hand. With each movement of a red comb, her sheathed blade snapped against another skull. She smiled at it, as if it were a loved one that she was just assisting in combing its long locks smooth of tangles.

"Now, to give you life once more," she murmured to it, the empty sockets of the skull still baring the blood that had once ran thru its missing body. It was dry now, flaking off with every brush of its hair, but she just continued smirking at it and the one silver strand in it that she took pride in. "I shall add that wonderful color to my ink colored strands." With every stroke the hairs of the skull in her hand grew longer, seeming to break free from the prison they took off toward a certain pair that left the area of the well behind.  
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"So, you're saying that this Yura bitch is after us?" he inquired after she spilled forward the information that she had gleaned from her one interaction with the demon before she had been thrown into the well. Before he could say further she admitted in a low voice that she had lost the shard to the very woman and although she couldn't fathom why the demon wanted them dead she could only assume it had to do with their heads that she yearned for. And maybe because she had broken the item that the female had coveted like the male whose back she rode on. He stopped at her mention of the now stolen shard, almost knocking her off as he stood still. "You let her steal it!" he gasped in anger. She shot him a look as the hairs around them crossed and gleamed in the moonlight above them.

"Not like I had a choice in her taking it!" she spat back now moving to get off his back. Why did I think he would understand? He shuffled her back onto his back as a mass of black hair swirled above them, drawing her attention as she yelled in warning. "Move! It's above us!" He looked up, not seeing anything, but moving none the less as she squeaked, the strands of hair all around them striking his skin and her, tho she noted that it just seemed to break upon making contact with him or the red top he had thrust upon her. She said nothing for a second as she took this in. More information that she stored in the back of her mind like a file cabinet to ask about later. Looking into the forest where more strands interlocked as they passed over and under other strands she looked for the one that would lead them to Yura.

"Just hurry up and find the one that leads to this bitch and then I can kill her!" he commanded. She ignored the tone of his voice and the way he seemed to think that he had some command over her. In this era it was true that women were barely allowed any say in what they did or who they married, but she was not from this era and she was not going to continue allowing him to think that. But at this moment, the fear for her family and her life she looked around for the glowing strands. Upon seeing some in the distance she pointed, her hand coming over his shoulder too far as a hair cut her. He smelled the blood, but ignored it in favor of following her direction. Only going for a few minute, following her directions they came across a fire to their left, her eyes narrowing at the same time as his as the strangeness of that fire hit them. Who would be out here with that bitch running around? Kagome slid off of him to his surprise as she moved to see what was over in the partly lit woods. He almost stopped her as the smell of death hit his nose, but she moved faster than he would have thought as she hit the edge of where the lights from the fire glowed.

"O-Oh my god," she whispered and he could hear the disgust and fear that filtered thru the whisper itself. He moved to stand beside her, the fire-rat robe sliding a little down, but he pulled it back up trying to get her attention so that they could move on, but even his golden eyes fell on what she had seen. "Those are warriors." Her voice was so soft as she looked at the massacre before her. Several men lay against trees, some missing their heads as blood, still fresh, oozed from their necks. As she took a step forward, unaware that she was drawn to the darkness of the lit area. She could see where the hairs were stuck in other body parts that littered the grounds of the forest. She could see the blood and lightly smell the rotting of the bodies before her. Her foot touched something and she felt the chill of something slide down into her tennis shoes. Looking down she was rather surprised and frozen at the head of one of soldiers hands that had fallen against her shoe. The blood from his torn flesh of his fingers darkening her socks.

She nearly fell to her knees at the sight as Inuyasha stated what could be seen with her own chocolate orbs. "Seems that they got caught in the hair," he muttered as she realized this was her fault, more guilt crushing her heart at the fact that had she not gone back, had not left this world that these men would not be dead. "Hey, they're missing their heads?" he stated, questioning it in the same breath. When he noticed that she had her back to him, her hands out before her, touching the still warm body of one of the human males. "Hey, don't get all scared! You ain't going home!" She didn't move for a second and he went to gather her up so they could complete their mission, but she turned then, in her hands a bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"I think I'm going to take these." At his look of skepticism since he was still sure she was unable to use the weapon as Kikyo had and that it would only hinder them with the way she failed to shoot far enough. With a 'keh' he yanked her back onto his back, her protest ignored as they took off yet again. As they bound over the hill he pointed out her inability at the use of the bow she clung to. "Hey, I can get better if I practice!"

"Uh huh," he said, his reservation obvious in his tone. "You are gonna need like thousands of years!" She growled low in her throat but at the same time she resolved herself to learn how to fight since she would need to make this right before more innocent people lost their lives to this demon that seemed to be adding heads to her collection.

"Too bad killing her won't give them back their lives," she whispered, almost too soft for him to hear, but he grunted at her statement. "We need to destroy her quickly!" she stated louder and Inuyasha soon found that although he didn't trust the weak female on his back and even found her to be an annoyance he was shocked at her fearless attitude that seemed to peek out more often as the situation grew it seemed more bleak. "Watch out!" she warned. "We are getting closer!" As soon as she said that mounds of hair flew at them, her body moving to move his as if he were a bike under her, moving him to dodge the hairs.

"What the fuck, wench?!" he bellowed at her movements that were causing him to come unbalanced, but it seemed to be keeping them clear of the hairs that he still could not see and that was the moment where both were caught off guard, Inuyasha caught and pulled up and away from Kagome. She landed with an 'oomph' as he watched her from his new confinement. "God damn it!" he yelled in frustration. He was getting tired of finding himself confined whether it be a damned tree or hair that locked his movements. She looked to him, but the feel of something in her body caused her to look to her right, the large ball of hair and blood looking like a demented full moon over the trees. Even Inuyasha turned his gaze, his hands and legs stiff with the pull of the restraints.

"Is that where she is?" she whispered to herself as she eyed the horizon with a mixture of fear of the unknown that could be in the ball and the anger at the fact that this demon had had this much time to make her own hideout. Kagome was sure she had not seen this when she had first come over so many days before. All of this because of my stupidity! Tho there was no way for her to have known that going into the well house was going to bring about such ruin and chaos to the world of the past.


	9. Chapter 9

Before Kagome could move tho Yura appeared from the top of the ball of hair and blood, her eyes shinning in joy as she observed the two. "Just look at the wonderful prey I have gathered," she whispered huskily as she eyed Inuyasha, tho her eyes turned to ice as she eyed Kagome. "The the little bitch who shattered the wondrous jewel." She was still pissed about that as she couldn't gain the power she wanted from just the little shard in her possession. "Ah, Inuyasha," she whispered turning her attention to the captured Hanyou. "I have longed to see the infamous half demon who was a lapdog to a now murdered priestess and now that I have seen you I find that I want your head and that wonderful silver hair atop it." Kagome gagged at the way the woman was eyeing the male to her left.

"What are you talking about bitch and how do you know of me?!" She smirked broadened as she moved a little closer, her blade unsheathed now as she licked her lips.

"Ah, but you are a tale that is told so far and wide that even us oni have heard of it." She sighed. "It seems that the Miko you adored and followed around like the dog demon that you are was the keeper of the jewel and even though you could have taken it from her at any given turn you were too much in lo-" she was cut off as Inuyasha growled and slashing his claws around managing to free a hand to slice forward at her. The glowing crescents of light flew at her, silencing her for one moment before she began to cackle evilly at his emotionally fueled attack. "A little touchy about that woman, aren't we?" He attempted again, his anger at being reminded of the one who had sealed him to the tree making his powers flow brighter. But with a flick of her wrists, a red comb held tightly in her slender fingers he was again bound, tho even as the strands tightened around his form she was aware it would not cut him nor would it kill him. With a growl she held her blade high, ready to slice down at the half demon before her. "You will both be dead and then you can join her in hell where I am sure she is tormented with the weakness she had for you!" With that she sliced down, but even as some of it managed to strike him, the other half hit the woman who jumped from the hill and in front of him, if only for seconds.

Kagome hadn't been able to handle the information given to her but their talk, but at the thought of someone else being hurt because of her mistake she had taken to the air. The slash had caused the sword to nick Inuyasha just enough to bring forth blood from the wound, but the other half hit the fire-rat robe that adorned the girl from the future. She turned mid fall and swung the bow in her hands at the other female. It glowed with light for a second as it sent the other woman flying, Kagome landing in an uncomfortable way as she hit the forest floor. Inuyasha smirked at the hairs loosed enough to get free, tho Yura, even thrown back, still stood there and now she was pissed. Looking at the pair before her, her tongue coming out to like the edge of the blade that was covered in a splatter of the Hanyou's blood, she growled in irritation. She didn't want the female before her to continue to interrupt her but if she turned all her attention to her than she felt that she would be neglecting her real prize. That being said she threw more hair toward Inuyasha and flew at Kagome with the blade held high. Inuyasha found himself tangled up again, but seeing that Yura was ignoring him for the moment in her attempt to remove the other female from this world he used his claws to tear at the hairs. Swiping he watched in horror as the blade came down, grazing the long raven hair that flew behind the girl from the future. She 'eeped' as more of her hair was lost in the wind.

"What the hell is it with my hair being shredded by demons and humans alike in this damn era?!" she whined as she took a sharp tumbled and landed on the downside of the hill, just in front of the ball while Inuyasha freed himself and took after the hair demon.

"Ah, but that would be your own fault," the oni yelled. "My blade is made to take a head off its body without damaging the hair!" Kagome groaned at the pain in her backside as well as that from her arm that had been slashed during her last encounter before the jewel had shattered being forced under her. She brushed it off as she took aim with the bow, an arrow from the quiver joining it. Inuyasha slashed at Yura, who noticing him, smirked. "The doggy still wants to play?" she asked coyly. "Don't worry, I plan to have fun with you, but for right now you should stay back!" Throwing her hand out, the strands dancing with the motion she again attempted to trap him, but the enraged male was not having it as he jumped back and Yura followed, being distracted enough for Kagome to take aim again and release. The arrow flew a little better this time as it still glowed a soft pink. Upon striking her target, Yura stopped, her magenta tinted eyes looking on in horror at the hole that released several skulls down to the forest floors and the girl that was struggling to stand up.

Kagome stared in both wonder and disgust as the heads that fell out were still covered in their rotting flesh, the most recent ones being the warriors that they had encountered in the forest. Groaning out loud she gave voice to her disgust. "Ew." It was soft and although she had opened the gates for all the heads of hairy skulls her attention was finding the thing keeping it all together. There had to be something.

"Ah, so you did take those heads," Inuyasha spit, even he found it extremely disturbing. His nose was filled with the stench of blood.

"Oh, you will be joining them," she stated, almost too confident for his taste as she again attempted to trap him, this time managing to get his neck roped up in a web of her hair. This time it wasn't a single strand or two that chocked him, not being able to move against the strength of the bundled hair holding him he felt slightly light headed. "I would love to control the-" her hands had wrapped around some of his long hair, but now they stopped as an energy shook her body. She looked over at the nearly forgotten female to find that she was hunched over something, something that was hidden from her view by the fire-rat robe that fell around her, almost swamping her form in its size. But what she could see what an arrow in her bloodied fingers as she lifted it higher and higher with each hit on the unseen. Yura could feel it tho and it made her eyes widen in understanding as to what the girl was striking. "Stop that!" she cried out in anger and alarm. Kagome didn't even spare her a glance, which wasn't a good move as Inuyasha was forgotten, her blade coming up high in her hands as she rushed over. With a flick of her wrist the area around Kagome burst into the flames, the grass and skulls under her catching the blaze with ease.

Inuyasha could smell the flames, his golden eyes widening as the girl in them began to cough. He struggled against his bonds. He may not like her, but he didn't want her to die just yet. He needed her! He could admit that to himself, but watching her fall down over whatever she had been striking he felt his heart clench. "Hey!" he yelled hoping she could hear him, but it was Yura who turned her attention to him. Glowering at her he kept shifting his glace to the girl that was not moving under his fire-rat robe. He knew it could protect her from the fires, but not too sure about the heat.

"Her body will be gone soon, her bones also find themselves turning to ash," came the response to his unspoken worry. "She made me do it with her constant interference, but now you have my undivided attention." With a look of absolute delight at the untimely demise of the female she looked to him. "Now, time to take that beautiful head of hair." As she went to reach for him his golden eyes flashed dangerously.

"You fucking bitch!" he hissed as his claws delved into the wound that was still bleeding lightly. It would have been worse had the stupid girl that lay motionless not rushed to his aide unbidden. That had not only shocked him, but it had slightly pissed him off. He didn't need help from a weak human! She should have just stayed back while he took care of the woman before him.

"Oh, are you sad at her passing?" she seemed to be surprised at that fact, but soon her eyes turned cold again. "I will allow you to join her soon enou-" she was cut off as her body began to fall apart around her.

"Blades of bloooooood!" roared loudly from his fanged lips as his attacked rendered her broken. Her eyes grew wide as the blood cut her deeply. She fell back, her left hand falling to the ground, tho it was still attached to her hairs while other body parts remained hanging loosely around her. Her black blood stained the ground as it dripped from her limbs. Throwing a glare at him she was unhappy to hear the sound of cackling. Inuyasha heard it too and looked to where the fire was still burning and then looked above that to find that it was the skulls that were falling from her nest. They were cackling at her pain. Suppressing a shiver at that thought he turned his attention back to her as his other hand fell lax, her hold on the hairs gone with her hand. "Can't control these hairs without your hand, huh?" he queered with a smirk. "Guess that means I need to dismantle you quickly." Rushing at her again he was thrown back as her other hand pulled at the hairs and to his shock he found himself with a face full of skulls that struck him all over his body. She used this distraction to her advantage and pulled her hand that still grasped the hilt of the sword back to her.

"You coward! Using humans to do your dirty work!" He remembered her puppetry of the villagers and the fact that only Kaede herself had been unusable. Was it because of her powers or her age? He attempted to throw the skulls away from him, but as he turned his his body be became more entangled in the hairs that he had been released from. With all the hair confusing his mind on how to untangle it he failed to see her come up from behind, the only thing filling his mind was the pain from the blade that impaled his form, coming thru his body and up under where his heart was. Letting out a scream of anguish he swiped to the left, turning his body in an effort to get her away from him. Standing in front of him she looked displeased.

"Aw, I almost had it," she whispered. "Seems that being a half demon isn't all that it's cracked up to be. You could heal so much faster as a full blooded demon." She reached between her cleavage, retrieving a familiar pouch.

The shard!

"Is this what you were planning to do, Inuyasha?" She seemed so content in holding it above him like a carrot to a horse. His eye narrowed, but his ears twitched to the side as a sound could be heard in the distance. Even now Yura paused again, as she had before. An energy shook her small form and her magenta eyes flickered over to where a raven haired child again sat, but this time she could see what she was working on. "You again?!" she bellowed. She was tired of this human fucking with her powers. This time the girl was closer now as the skulls from the nest still slid out. It was like sitting on the edge of the beach as the water seemed to move you with each gentle wave. Giving Inuyasha a sparing glace she moved to exterminate the female permanently. But as she turned Inuyasha struck, his hand piercing her flesh, in the spot where had she had a heart he would be holding it. But as it was she just glared harder at him, her eyes flashing as she shoved his hand out and stabbed her own weapon into the top of his hand to bind him to the ground. He winced, but was more concerned with the fact that she had seemed unfazed. No scream of pain, no hesitation in her movements. "Such a rude thing to do!" Again her body shuddered and he realized that Kagome had found the weakness, but she didn't have long as Yura rushed to her side, ready to take the other female down. Inuyasha yanked the blade from his and struck her with it, his body mildly weak from the blood loss, but he wasn't about to lose! She turned back to him in anger but still resumed her chase to the female that now moved quicker and harder with her strikes on a red skull, the top part of it cracking under her abuse.

"Seems the wench found your weakness," he hissed as he threw off the hairs and went on the offensive. His claws struck her body sending her forward, closer to the other struggling girl. "Cuz you seemed fine when I impaled your body, but her playing with that skull really makes you uneasy." She growled at his implications but with a flick of her wrist another string of hair encircled Kagome's slim neck. She chocked as she was pulled back, her fingers still holding onto the empty eye sockets of the skull she had been trying to destroy. She could feel the shiver that went up her body at the fact that she was still clinging to the creepy thing. She wouldn't release it tho. She needed to break it, but the hair around her neck made her whimper as she felt the blood leak from the wound. It was leaking down her chest and back, some of it staining her white night shirt as she struggled to yank the skull closer to her body. Inuyasha appeared as she thought she was done for, striking Yura down, her blood splattering on him as he jumped toward Kagome. Yura fell back, too stunned to move for a moment at her arms fell below her with the hair and skulls that crashed down like a waterfall. "Don't you dare go fainting you stupid girl!" he yelled as he scooped her up. Taking a leap up, jumping up the hair and into the skies. Kagome could feel the weight of the skull still in her hands as she looked behind them.

"Inuyasha! Look out!" she cried as Yura's misplaced limb stabbed him, the blade going thru him yet again and as it did it struck her too. Luckily for her it wasn't fatal in the sense that it just tore flesh and clothing off her left side. His eyes were wide and yet his once golden orbs seemed to darken. She wasn't about to let him continue getting hurt and as soon as they landed she moved her body to stand in front of his, the skull still grasped tightly. Looking around she failed to see anything that was strong enough to bust the skull. That's when she realized she had a weapon in the form of the male behind her. "Inuyasha," she breathed as she looked at the male grimacing with each breath. "Use your claws on this skull." He didn't too pleased with her request. The skull was red, but it didn't look any less human than the other skulls that littered the ground, but at the look of sureness in her eyes he did as she asked, Yura rushing toward them, her arms gone and a hole left in her chest from where Inuyasha had tried to take the jewel shard from the pouch hidden there. With one flash of his blades of blood as his claws were still covered with the oni's blood and his own.

Yura stopped with a scream of pain, her body shivering roughly, but she growled as the comb that was hidden in the skull was brought to light. Smirking the Hanyou grasped it and with a simple close of his fist it was gone. The body of the oni began to dissolve, but into dust that flew again in the soft breeze of the dusk that was making the skies lighter. As the blues lightened she reached over to grasp the pouch that held the first and only shard they had.

"She was a comb?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Not really. She put her soul in there just so she couldn't be killed no matter how many times an enemy were to strike her." This made sense in a weird way as it seemed reminiscent of the way souls attached themselves to inanimate objects or people so it could live on past its own body.

Speaking of bodies, she thought as she looked over that half demon, his white underclothing stained so badly it looked like a really bad dye job. "We need to get you bandaged up." He snorted and struggling slightly stood up.

"I don't need any of that human hospitality," he spit as if the words were poison in his mouth. "Come on, Ka-Go-Me," he said to her surprise and he must have seen how she reacted because he stopped and glanced back at her. "What? Let's go!" She shook her head but got up and followed him back toward Kaede's Village. Meanwhile a lone figure watched them, its small form just another part of the scenery.

"It has been an awful long day, Inuyasha." 'smack'

"Heeeeeey!" came a masculine cry of anguish and then a girl's voice boomed out in anger.

"You should at least say 'ouch' when you're hurt!"


	10. Chapter 10

rather beautiful looking male walked among some warriors, their eyes wide as heads began to drop to the soft grass at this male's booted feet. He despised the humans that roamed the lands with his kind, demons of the purest blood.

"Leave now before others find your body in this mass grave," he warned, his voice a silky tone mixed with the emotionless tone of indifference that made most people shudder. His golden orbs searched out ahead of him, the humans dismissed as he called out, "Jaken, the staff." At his master's call the small reptilian creature rushed to his side, in his hand was a rather strange looking staff. It was nearly as tall as Jaken and at the very top were two heads. One was a young female and one a elder male. Coming to stand close he thumped the tip of the staff on the ground and waited...Upon getting his response from the female head on the staff he gave his master the information. The male did not like that response, but blew it off as the humans had failed to leave and stood gawking at him. He didn't even waste his breath on him as he turned, the fur that curled over the right side his form shifting in the wind as Jaken turned to finish off the humans with a quick flash of fire cremating the humans before him.

"Maybe your brother has knowledge of the tomb," he said before finding his head in the ground as he followed his master. The golden eyed male continued on as he dismissed what his servant had suggested.

I have no brother in that Hanyou. And that was all he had to say on that matter.  
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Kagome found herself struggling with the weight of the bike under her fingers as she pushed it out of the well. It was a fight but she wasn't going to just keep hopping onto Inuyasha's back either. She felt that was too personal as they had only known each other for a week or so. That was not her way to do things and it wouldn't change. Unless it has too. She knew there might be times where she would have to give in and ride the Hanyou. It hit the grass with a soft 'clunk' as she heaved a sigh and crawled out behind it. Speaking of the male in question she was surprised that he hadn't followed her home, but then again given his injuries she had been surprised that he had been able to move. I wonder if it's because of his demon blood? She may not have any information on his abilities, but with this scavenger hunt they would be doing for god knows how long she was sure she would find out more and more about him. Shaking her head she hopped on and biked toward the village, tho she was sure that he wasn't there with his prejudice about humans. Still with the fact that he was injured she felt that she could assist him with some of the items from her time.

The bike, tho pretty old handled the muddy dirt roads with ease as she turned the handlebars to head into the clearing that was the village and then turned again as she noted that he was indeed not in the village, but on the edge of it in his tree. She was sure it was where he felt safe or something even tho is was where he had been sealed for fifty years. As she rode closer to him she failed to notice that Kaede was walking toward the very tree, her own injuries being fussed over by a small group of children. Kagome looked up at him, her brown eyes taking in the young half demon with an almost critical eye. "Hey," she called, her voice carrying up into the tree. "Let me bandage you." He shot her a glare and a negative response to her idea. "You were stabbed not once but twice you idiot!" Even tho she noted that there was no blood on the fire-rat robe, tho that was going to be obvious as she had been wearing it during their last fight. He looked comfortable though, no semblance that he had even been hurt. Again he rebuffed her with a simple 'I don't need human aide' and turned from her again, this time his eyes closed and she took that moment to say, "Osuwari." It was a whisper that barely reached him, but the beads heard it and he came down from his tree with a flash of red and white. His eyes flashed at her from his spot on the ground.

"I told you, bitch, that I don't need anything from you!" he spat. "And stop trying to take my clothing off!" She moved him onto his back as her hands moved to open the fire-rat robe, and he fought her advances. "Keep your damn hands to yourself!" he yelled as he threw her off of him, but she still persisted until his foot hit a rock and he was down again. She had been holding the robe in her fingers and found herself going down with him.

"Ye two seem to have reached a new position in your relationship," Kaede said with a disapproving tone as she covered the eyes of the two children at her sides. "Do not look at them," she told the kids, instructing them to look away from the pair that had landed with Kagome on top of the Hanyou, her face just above his waist, his eyes wide at the heat of her breath on his stomach. Tossing her off with a huff he growled at the older woman.

"Just because she has a thing for being close to me doesn't mean I want it, ya old hag!" Throwing her one more hateful look he jumped back into his tree. Kagome stood up, her eyes narrowing at the male she had been attempting to help. "Like the old hag said before I am a Hanyou and as such I do not need anyone to take care of non-existent wounds!" She looked thoughtful at his explanation, but still wanted to see that he was fine. It was weird to him that she cared so much, but to her it was just natural to care about those around her. With a sigh he showed her his chest, the wound had long been healed, with no scar left behind. "Just because I am half human doesn't mean I heal like you weaklings!" The trio stood there in silence for a moment before Inuyasha randomly seemed to smack his own face. Kagome raised a brow at him, but didn't say a word as he pulled his hand back with a look to the one that had intruded on his moment.

Kagome looked at Kaede in confusion as the pair watched to see what Inuyasha would do with whatever was in his hand. When he still failed to come down or include them in the conversation he had begun with himself. Or so it seemed as he paid them no mind. Kagome shook her head and climbing on her bike headed for the village, leaving Kaede and Inuyasha alone.

He could have just let me see before we ended up in a rather embarrassing position, she thought to herself as her cheeks bloomed with pink at the thought that the elder Miko had caught her on top of her dead sister's lover. It's not like I jumped onto of him or anything. "So, he's human and he's demon, tho that was easy to see that he was some part human with his appearance," she said to herself, not noticing that Kaede had begun to follow her.

"His mother was human," she supplied startling the female who had found a spot on the road to stop and contemplate the information she had gleaned from the male. Looking over at her, her hand on her surprised heart. "I didn't mean to scare ye," the older woman stated. "But I remember all that I learned from Kikyo's brief relationship with him." Kagome nodded at the statement.

"So then his father was a demon?" she queried. Kaede nodded as they resumed their walk toward the village when all of a sudden she found herself face planting on the dirt, her bike falling away from her. Letting out a groan she looked to see that Inuyasha was laying across her, his golden eyes not even looking at her, but at the skies above them. "Inu-"

"Shhhh," he hissed, still not acknowledging the fact that he was splayed across her while Kaede herself had squatted down at his warning. "Kaede, you and Kagome need to head back to the village." Brown eyes narrowed at his command and she tried to push him off of her until she heard the sound of chains clanging together. Looking up, her eyes grew wide at the fact that it was growing darker by the moment but the fact that there was a carriage in the skies above them, no horses or anything that she could see pulling it. On the outside of the rather elaborate carriage were these little demons that wore nothing but what appeared to be cloths over their crotches. The roamed over the carriage, but it was the view of the woman that was hidden in the carriage that caught her attention.

She looks human. Her eyes narrowed to catch more than the fleeting appearance of the raven haired woman. She was about her own mother's age, tho she was dressed so elegantly that Kagome was sure she must be a princess of some sort or even someone that held a higher ranking than those of Kaede's small village. Still she found no fear in her heart or mind at the appearance of such a specter. It was the stiffening of the male still on her that caught her attention, and when his warmth moved from her she looked to see the wide golden eyes that were full of both disbelief and familiarity of what he was looking at.

"M-Mother?" he questioned. Kaede let out a shocked sound, but Kagome found nothing leaving her own lips as she looked back toward the carriage. Suddenly the darkened skies let a hand free from the heavens that it hide, tho to say that this hand itself was from heaven would be blasphemous as it looked to be the hand of the very devil that lurked in the fires of hell. It grasped the carriage and with a resounding 'crack', shattered it.

"Inuyasha!" the woman cried out, her fear palpable in the air. Inuyasha looked torn between wanting to stay where he was and wanting to go to the woman who cried out again, tears streaking down her face at the plight she had found herself in. It was then that another figure appeared from the black clouds, walking down the arm of the beast that was making its own slow appearance. Kagome found herself both afraid and in awe at the size of the demon before her, but even more at the male that walked down the arm. His outfit was rather lavish in appearance, a bit of fur wrapped around his body and to the ground.

He's kinda pretty for a man...He is a male, right? It was when his husky voice broke the silence that had permeated the air around them, followed by the growl from Inuyasha who moved his body in between her and the other male. Does he know this person? Again he warned Kaede and her to go back to the village, but she found herself rooted to the spot, trying to figure out what was going on before her very eyes. There was soooo much tension in the air that she still found she could not speak for fear that something would happen to the woman in the hand of the beast.

"Sesshoumaru! You bastard!" That made the other male chuckle at the hate that filled his voice.

"So, you remember me you filthy half demon," he spat. "Do you al-" he stopped for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing on Kagome who felt the hate in that gaze, the disgust at the fact that she was here. What in the world was up with this guy and the half demon that stood in front of her? His eyes were the same as Inuyasha's own golden gaze, but his were like cracked dry ice that seemed to smoke as he took her in. His brow raised. "So, you are like father in some ways," he said contempt dripping from his lips. "Another fucking human at your side! Would have thought you would learn an important lesson after that last human you hung around!" Kagome growled now, her thoughts about how beautiful he had looked tossed aside in favor of her newest opinion of him.

"You're a prick," she said, her words low, but still loud enough for him to hear and it seemed that he took it as a compliment while at the same time appearing upset at her lack of respect.

"No one asked you, human," he responded before turning his attention back to Inuyasha. Tho, now she was sure he was family as he had referred to his own father as if they were one in the same. Was he a full demon then or with his likeness to Inuyasha, was he also a half demon. No, she was sure he had to be a full demon with is dislike apparent for both the Hanyou before her and her own mortality. "It seems that you have a choice before you as you can see," he continued as he turned toward the woman still in the demon's hand, her body held down with chains that clanked with every strong move of her body and yet she couldn't move from her entrapment. "You can help your dear mother by giving me the location of our father's grave or you can let her die." Kagome gasped at what he was implying, her eyes watching with Inuyasha's own golden orbs as the chains around his mother's neck were tightened. Sesshoumaru held them like a leash and that seemed to piss off the Hanyou, but even Kagome found herself hating the male for his abuse of the older woman.

"What does he want?" Kaede said, her silence making it known that she was still there. Kagome looked to her in surprise, almost forgetting she was there with them. It had seemed like a such a moment that neither woman should have been. It was family thing in the eyes of the male in front of her, but other male didn't seem to mind the audience, tho he didn't seem too happy that they were humans.

"And an old woman?" the silver haired demon asked incredulous. "You are really integrating yourself in the human world, brother." He sneered at that thought, tho verbalized seemed to leave a sour taste in his mouth. "You are a shameful example for a demon, though it's because of this woman's very tainted human blood." He yanked the chain harder, making the older woman cry out.

"What's your fucking problem?!" Kagome screamed. "You get your sick kicks from this kind of thing?" This time he chose to ignore her, tho Inuyasha shot her a look.

"This is none of your business," he hissed at her. "You two should go to the village." Kaede nodded and made a move to get Kagome's attention but the younger female just shook her head and refused to go. She had to stay here! It may not be about her, but she wasn't about to leave Inuyasha's side. He growled at her for her insubordination, but turned back to his brother. "Have your forgotten that my mother is dead? You can't kill a dead woman!" The raven haired girl at his side found her eyes back on the woman in the demon's claws. She couldn't believe it! That was a dead woman?

"Ah, you don't care for your mother's departed soul?" He yanked again, the little monsters that had been climbing on the carriage now appearing again as they eyed the older female below their feet. "I brought her back and even gave her a body to inhabit!" Inuyasha found his eyes falling on his mother's face. She looked just as she had when he had last seen her. She had died when he was but a pup and he missed her sometimes, but she was dead and this woman was nothing but a shell...wasn't she? "Where is father's grave, half breed?"

"I don't know nothing about his fucking grave!" he yelled back, but that seemed to make the other male more upset. He seemed to be in a rush to get to this grave as he scoffed at the younger male. "And even if I did I wouldn't tell you, you dick!" With a nod at the monster holding the older woman he allowed her form to be crushed under the claws of the giant beast. Inuyasha couldn't stand it, his eyes narrowing at the treatment of his mother. She let out a scream of pain that filled the small valley, bringing out more of his instincts to protect the one who had given him life, even if he hated his parents for his conception. He had rather been born as the male before him, a full demon, but his father had fallen in love with a human and had given her a son. Rushing to her aide as another cry slipped from her lips he cut the hand off the beast. It fell to the ground as he turned his attention toward his half brother in rage.

Kagome rushed to aide the fallen woman as Kaede disappeared in the direction of the village. Tho she found that the older woman leaving a blessing for she didn't think that the older woman would fare well with the male that despised their humanity. He seemed hell bent on harming humans and while she was a human herself she was younger and more able to stand with Inuyasha. Helping the woman to her feet she looked back at Inuyasha who barked over his shoulder at her to get his mother somewhere safe. He found himself not battling Sesshoumaru as he had intended, but the demon who was rather pissed off at having his hand removed by the Hanyou's attack on him. His mother looked on in fear, Kagome clutching her soft robes as they pooled around her. She wasn't going to let anything happen to the older woman, but when she tried to move the other woman she found herself thrown back, the woman's hands moving up and in front of her, a bright flower like gem glowing brightly in her hands as she aimed it up toward both the male that had kidnapped her and the demon that once held her nearly lifeless form. As the light grew brighter the demon that Inuyasha had been fighting began to dissolve, Sesshoumaru blocking his own golden orbs as everything seemed to disappear in the light, the warmth washing over her small form and then it was black nothingness.


	11. Chapter 11

A beautiful light filled the new place that Kagome woke up in, her brown eyes taking in the almost ethereal feeling of the world she was in. Was she dead? A lake glittered before her, lily pads and the flowers blooming brightly on top in an almost blinding pink hue. She could see Inuyasha to the left of her, his own eyes wide as he took in the place before him. Strangely tho he was upright whereas she was laying down, unable to get up which caused a little panic in her heart. But upon hearing his pants crinkle as he moved away from her brought on a new fear until she saw who was walking toward them. It was his mother and she appeared fine so maybe they were not dead after all, tho that didn't explain why she couldn't move. She couldn't feel any part of her body so she wasn't even sure if anything was happening when she told her brain to tell her legs to move. She looked back as the pair before her moved close, the Hanyou still on the fence about the woman before him, but it was his mother in all her glory. She looked just as she had when she had died as well.

"This is the place where the earth and heavens meet. I shall have to go back now," she whispered, her voice melodic in tone as she gazed lovingly at her son. Kagome was happy that he could see his mother, it made her think of her own mother. She could go see her whenever she wanted to, but Inuyasha hadn't seen his own mother in a while it appeared as she listened to their conversation. "You've grown so much, my son." Inuyasha scoffed at her assessment, but still pointed out that he had barely been a teen when she had passed on. "Oh, my child, I am so sorry for leaving you at such a young age, for the trials you must have had to deal with." Inuyasha wanted to look into the waters beside him, something drawing him to look away from the woman before him. The woman claiming to be his mother and even though she looked like his mother, even the kimono she was wearing was one she had worn. It had been a gift from his father or so she had said.

"I'm not a weakling," he stated simply as she moved to touch his chin, forcing him to look away from the water. He wondered as to what was calling him to look away from her. Something he had to remember... Like, what was I doing before this? He couldn't seem to remember what had transpired to leading him to this place. The last thing he remembered what a bright, warm light and he awoke here. There was someone else, wasn't there? A fight? Another human? He racked his brain, but nothing filtered in except for his mothers soft voice as she reached to pull him into a hug. He struggled for a moment until she coaxed him to remember how she had held him much like this at a young age and he paused in his struggle, and that was all she needed. She pulled him closer, and although her touch seemed soft he felt like a great weight around his body, anchoring him to the woman holding him. He glanced over the lake, Kagome was there, but he couldn't see her, his eyes turning glassy for a split second as he continued to fight the feeling of being cut off from his mind. His body didn't seem to do what he wanted it to do, even tho his mind was still taking everything in. It was telling him that he wasn't alone and that something was off. Blinking he saw a flash of black, white, and green. His mind showed him a pair of brown eyes and for a moment he was sure he was thinking about Kikyo when he looked down at the water, the brightness of his golden orbs reflecting back to him, but his mother's face was gone! She had no eyes look at him or a mouth to talk to him, but she had just been doing that a moment ago so why was she missing the necessary parts right now?

As he found himself again in a fog he was unaware of the struggle for the woman across the lake from him, her brown eyes wide in fear as she fought to stand up, to even push herself up onto her arms. She opened her mouth, hoping that he could hear her cries for help, but found she was mute. Nothing passed her lips except for a gasp of air. She couldn't call to him and she was finding that she needed to free herself to get to him as she watched his body begin to sink into the flesh that was exposed at the breast of the woman who said she was his mother. Why was she leaning over him like that? Why was she pulling him in further and why were his eyes losing color or was it that they were dimming in color before her very eyes. A flash of light flickered in the orbs as their eyes met through his fog and the Hanyou began to fight with the woman.

"Who are?! You're not my mother, bitch!" Trying to strike at her he found himself again feeling too heavy to get away from her, his eyes narrowing at the woman as his mind again began to fill with haze. "W-Why?" he managed to gasp as his face was forced into her bosom, her arms holding him in place as he relaxed, his mind going blank.

"Be still, my child. I have much to ask you," she whispered, her voice changing slightly at first, still cooing at him, but almost a soft demand filling her tone. As she continued to talk to him Kagome felt a slight prickle on her skin and with it the feeling of being too heavy to move began to subside along with the vision in front of her. With a smack she found herself looking down a what appeared to be a flea, his body flattened. She almost tossed him to the side when he said her name. She looked at him in confusion, but with a glance at Inuyasha sinking into the woman she wondered what she could do to get across the lake, tho it was now tar as it bubbled before her.

"Kagome," the flea cried out in alarm. "You must get the master from her! She will break his soul if she consumes him!" This was really alarming as she watched Inuyasha sink further into her flesh, but before he could be drug down further a rather nasty looking reptile appeared. He was short, like a child, but his skin was wrinkly and yet she could tell that he wasn't an elder or anything. She crept closer to the pair, her legs a little shaking from being chained to the ground for such a long period and the fact that the area seemed to have a heavy air. She moved closer until she found herself behind the little creep as he asked questions of the faceless woman and then he asked a rather pointed one about the grave of the brothers' father. She had remembered how his brother had been keen on that information, almost impatient with the need for the information.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" she whispered in irritation at the nerve of Sesshoumaru and his lackey. At the mention of something from Inuyasha the woman relayed the information she had gathered, but warned against pushing the male any further for the fear of breaking his soul. Kagome was taken back by the fact that she didn't want to hurt the Hanyou. That gave her pause on her dislike for the woman who was still crushing Inuyasha to her chest.

"Break it then! Why should I care what happens to him?" the reptile replied, his tone hateful toward the golden haired half demon. "Sesshoumaru wouldn't care if his brother never breathed again so do what needs to b-" he was cut off as Kagome snatched his staff from his small fingers and slammed it into his head, her strength not much when it came to fighting, but she was strong enough to cause a 'crack' to sound at the two heads came in contact with Jaken's skull.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" she hollered at him. "You mini prick!" She couldn't believe anyone could be heartless enough, but it appeared that Inuyasha's half brother called little for his younger sibling. Turning her attention to the woman who had almost completely absorbed the Hanyou's head and shoulders, tho some of his silver hair hung out. "Let him go!" she cried running to his side, her fingers grasping on his hair with a tug. The woman refused, trying to move away from the girl attempting to remove the body from her own.

"He and I shall be one, my little boy and me." Kagome ignored her attempts to flee, her fist finding what would have been a cheek of the woman with no face. It didn't faze her much, but her attitude changed as she seemed to latch onto Kagome's arm.

"You must free him from her!" the flea cried. She didn't know who this flea was but he was rather annoying with his commands and stating the obvious. "This youkai is a representation of the mothers who lost their children due to wars and famine," he lectured, tho he looked like he wanted to run as her body was not freed from the demon holding onto her arm, her hand in the sticky mess that was the woman's body. "She is called a-" he was cut off with a snap.

"I can get the lesson about her and her name later! I need to know how to free him! And now!" she growled. Becoming distracted for a moment, her own mind drifted for a moment, but with a pinch of her cheek from her free hand she turned her attention back to the strange mother.

"You have to awaken his soul!" the flea yelled before finally jumping off and away from the dueling females. Kagome looked to where he had gone and finally noticed the image in the water. It was of the woman holding Inuyasha, a small child of maybe six or so. She blinked and with a slight struggle moved her body away from the other woman, dragging her a little ways as she tried to kick out, her foot finally connecting with the tar that reflected this image. As the ripples moved over the picture Inuyasha fell back and onto Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" she cheered in relief. She had been a little worried for a moment there, at least that was all that she would admit, even to herself. The Hanyou wasn't too pleased, but she couldn't tell from what at the moment.

"God fucking damn it," he gasped out, almost as if he had almost drowned, his breathing a little harsh. Before he had time to get used to being able to intake a breath, another person joined the fun.

"Ah, so the right, black pearl," came a husky voice as Sesshoumaru appeared and with a quick motion grasped Inuyasha around his neck. Kagome rushed at him, her effort wasted as he threw her back with the motion of his other hand something hitting her skin painfully. She fell back and touched her face, finding that she was okay she turned her attention back to Inuyasha as the other male explained what he had learned from the faceless woman that sat back now, silent as she seemed depressed with not getting to take the Hanyou into her form. With a smirk on his thin lips the older brother made a fist, the only fingers pointed outward were his pointer and middle finger, stuck together as they entered Inuyasha's right eye. The raven haired girl let out frightened gasp of his name as blood poured out, and then his fingers were out, a black pearl glowing in his fingers as he threw Inuyasha down next to her. She scrambled to see if he was okay and with a growl he moved from her grasp, but not too far as he covered the injured eye. "Seen but unseen," he husked as his dripping fingers held the pearl close, his smirk growing. "Not even the grave keeper could look upon it."

"You wanted that stupid thing so bad that you would even have this bitch play the part of my mother?" he snarled. Sesshoumaru just chuckled, his cold laughter making the hairs on Kagome's neck raise up. "Fuck you!" he yelled as he thrust himself toward his brother. Even unable to see thru one eye didn't deter him from attempting to kill his own brother, tho his elder brother didn't seem to care as his fingers glowed an eerie green as he swiped out. Kagome watched in horror as the claws bore out and struck...the woman who had played his mother for the cruel male, her body turned to ribbons by his claws, her clothing burning from her body and it was then that Kagome realized that his claws were acid! Her body fell to the ground, and even tho she had no face the girl found that she could imagine the look of pain and horror on the other woman's face. She was sure that even tho Inuyasha was not her own blood that she had felt a love toward him as she had once in life for her own real children. Inuyasha looked at the head, the only body part left over from the acid claws of his elder brother, in shock and almost sadness. She wasn't his mother but he could remember when his own mother had died. It had been a terrible death, she had just gotten sick and had passed on.

"Stupid creature, a waste," Sesshoumaru stated as he sunk his booted foot into her head, the resounding crunch and squish of her flesh causing the pair to feel an intensified need to vomit at the unfeeling demon's move. This pissed her off tho, the knowledge that no life had any meaning to the male before her. Demon or human you were below him and that didn't sit well with her and as Sesshoumaru made a move to leave, her fingers reached out as her mouth opened.

"Now, listen here you asshole!" she yelled as her fingers found purchase on the fine silks he wore. This got his attention and he turned, his eyes flashing at her impertinence. Before he could do anything Inuyasha grasped her and pulled her behind him. The other male stared down at his brother, his eyes narrowing at his brothers infinity for the human race. He just couldn't understand it and never would. He had no heart and that wasn't because of his father as the old man had been a great fighter and yet had been a softy.

And that is the difference between me and him. The male thought for a moment as he continued to stair at the pair, Inuyasha still covering his bloodied eye. He died to save one and I would rather the whole race died. Grasping the staff of two heads as Jaken retrieved it from the grass where Kagome had discarded it he lifted it high while at the same time tossing the black pearl onto the grass at his feet. "Finally," he breathed as he hit the pearl with the tip of the staff once, the male head opening up to laugh. The winds began to pick up, but only around the pearl. It opened like a whirlpool, its black mass seeming to grow as she and Inuyasha watched Sesshoumaru laugh at his fortune. His long search finally over. What was so important that he had to do all this? That was the question on the pair's mind as the winds blew against them, the black mass still growing. It began to suck up the demon and his companion as Kagome moved around Inuyasha. His golden eyes were wide as his brother disappeared and Kagome, being impulsive in nature yet again paid little heed to the fact that she knew nothing about what was on the other side and grasping the sleeve of his fire-rat moved to enter the swirling mass of darkness.


	12. Chapter 12

Inuyasha looked to her in confusion, but anger still swirled in the depths of his golden gaze.

"You shouldn't just stand there!" a familiar voice piped up. "Your brother will take your father's treasure!" His eyes flickered to his left shoulder, the one that Kagome was also grasping the sleeve and looking to him for an answer of whether they were going to go.

"I'm going," he spat to the flea. "And I could care less about anything that belonged to my father, Myoga." His eyes never left Kagome's brown ones, but he nodded to her, no words needed as she turned away and released his sleeve before taking off into the unknown with Inuyasha following her. "You do remember that my brother just went in there and he aims to kill me and you if he gets the chance." At that he heard her mutter something, but he wasn't sure what it was as they fell thru an opening at their feet, the darkness falling away. He could have sworn he caught the word 'bastard' but he wasn't absolutely sure and at the moment his eyes beheld his father's tomb he didn't care what she had said. His father's remains took up at least several hundreds of real estate before him, the bones clothed in armor. He wasn't surprised as his mother had told him of his father, but he had never thought it was true that his father could become such a large demon.

"Oh, wow," Kagome gasped in awe. She had never seen anything as majestic and at the same time so sad as the statuesque male form before her, but then again she began to come to the realization that they were falling quickly toward the skeleton and turned her head to see that Inuyasha was looking around him, as if to find a perch to land on. She was also sure that he had glanced at her, but she hadn't caught him so she wasn't sure if he had shot her a glare or what. "Ummm, are w-" It was then that he reached for her and a bird with no feathers or skin flew below them. He slammed her against him as he landed on the bird's back. A little gasp escaped her, but it was muffled against his chest. Turning to see that the skeleton was growing closer to them she leaned forward to see if she could spot his brother, all the while she was also taking in all the landscaping. There were vines hanging off the armor of Inuyasha's father. And around her there were more bones and yet it seemed rather peaceful as she took it all in. She knew it wouldn't remain peaceful as Sesshoumaru had yet to make his appearance and that could only mean that he was already in the belly of the beast...if that was where he was. "What is this treasure?" she asked without turning to look at the male at her side, tho she felt him shrug his shoulders. He didn't know?

Seen but unseen...

Ah yeah, his brother did say that it was even kept from Inuyasha, the keeper of the tomb of his late father. She wondered as to why and then her thoughts were back on the fact that even with his eye damaged he was able to open in with just a mild struggle. The gold in that one was almost tarnished in appearance and she wondered if he could see out of that one. Even though she was sure that it would piss him off even more she still opened her mouth to ask when another voice interrupted.

"It is a sword. The Tessaiga or as it is otherwise known," the flea began to the surprise of both on the bird. Inuyasha was more so for another reason, but Kagome had gotten an idea of the gist of Myoga's personality.

"I'm surprised that you are here," he stated, his left eye trying to close again, blood still wet on the underside of it. The flea gave a little huff and shut up, not continuing in his lesson about the sword. Taking a leap off the bird's back Inuyasha and Kagome managed to catch Sesshoumaru in the act of grasping the handle of a lone sword in the middle of his father's belly.

"He can't grasp it?" she wondered as Inuyasha let out a war cry, his eyes narrowed, one more closed as he flew down toward his brother. Kagome rolled her eyes at the display, but still she was worried that the Hanyou would fail against his brother. Looking at the facts before her and what she had gathered from the pair of males she knew that the elder brother was a full demon and as such could grow to be the size of the demon she was already in and on top of that those acid claws of his could do more than enough deadly damage. Also the fact that Inuyasha was disabled by his one eye...Well, she believed in him as she had seen him take some hits and that hadn't stopped him, but still... She looked at the sword that the hateful bastard named Sesshoumaru couldn't grasp and slide down further. She could see that it was a samurai looking sword, but it looked rather worn out and dented in her opinion. Why would his father want to give that to either of his sons? There had to be something to this Tessaiga. As she watched Inuyasha fight like an angry drunk she moved closer to the sword, her eyes watching them as she crept closer and closer, the bones under her giving her a mild issue. She might appear a little tipsy herself with her staggering and slipping, but that didn't stop her.

And you see the things they never see

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Inuyasha yelled, startling her as she fell back, her body blown back from the sword and into the ribs of his father. She looked to him, but found that he wasn't talking to her, he was raging at his brother. "Why don't you fight me?!" Sesshoumaru was indeed moving around more than fighting, but she couldn't think of that at the moment when she could feel her back protesting at moving after the hard slam she had just taken. She watched from her spot, having taken one step before stopping, her legs shaking slightly as the males were too close and the energy she could feel from the pair wouldn't let her move.

"Take the sword," Myoga commanded the half demon. At this he was silenced about this push toward something the half demon didn't care about much less wanted. He didn't know his old man except for the information his mother had supplied, but she had loved his father while he held no affection or hatred for his paternal figure. He was nothing to him. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand was a pest, someone who had tried to kill him several times, hating him for the death of his father and the fact that his father had had an affair with the human female that had been his mother. He vowed revenge for the fact that his father had left his own demon mother for a mere human. "Master Inuyasha the sword is yours!" he pleaded, but Inuyasha didn't take his gaze off his brother.

"God damn it Inuyasha!" His gaze did shift this time. Kagome was moving again, this time she made it to the edge of the stand for the sword. Looking at the way it was stuck in the stand she was hit with a story about a certain King of England that she had learned about in her school and how that sword wouldn't allow anyone but the one fabled to take it in hand did just that. No one, not even the stronger males could take the sword out of the stone, hell, most of them had found the rock lifting with it, but the sword still didn't even move, not an inch.

All you wanted I could be

"Just because you don't think you're strong enough doesn't mean you can't still inflict pain on him!" she yelled, her eyes full of something he couldn't see as his own eyes narrowed at her. That was a good idea, though she didn't need to point out that he was weaker than his brother as he knew he wasn't but still...

"Damn it, wench!" he muttered, but did turn his eyes onto the rusty looking sword and although he was sure that the sword itself was worthless the look in his brother's eyes at Kagome's idea was priceless and so he did just that, jumping over to near where Kagome stood, his hand reaching out for the hilt of the blade. He was mildly worried that it wouldn't work and he would look foolish, but knowing that his father, the man that he had never met felt that it was safest in his own eye made him believe that it was indeed his to take and do what he would with it. His own brother's eyes narrowed on him or was it him that he was watching? Was it the sword? Stepping onto the stand that held the sword he took hold of the hilt, his body tensing as he waited for the shock that had happened when Sesshoumaru took hold of it...Nothing, not a buzz of power or pain... Kagome let out a 'whoop' as she turned to the elder brother.

"Ha!" she said making a face at him but it dropped as she noted that she could not hear the sound of sword sliding out of its holder. Turning she noticed that Inuyasha could not make it budge, for even though it had not shocked him it still refused to be owned by either brother. That caused a raised brow from her and a smirk to twist on the other brother's lips. Inuyasha looked at Kagome, his eyes telling her of his anger at her as well while Myoga found himself smashed between Inuyasha's claws. "What the hell, Inuyasha?" she muttered, his ears flickering toward her tone of disbelief.

"Guess it wasn't meant for you either, bastard child," his brother hissed as he rushed at him. "Taste my poison claws!" Kagome watched in fear as Sesshoumaru's claws glowed green and she had just assumed it was acid as that was the only thing that came to mind when one saw something melt like the female before had. She was now worried because although acid could be deadly, poison was thousands of times worse in her opinion and she scrambled away from the sword, but still attempted to catch the attention of the rather scary male. She hoped that if she herself could get him away from Inuyasha then maybe they could all escape with their lives, but what she failed to notice was that her hands had grabbed the sword in an effort to not slide. The sounds of battle died and she found herself the center of attention for four pairs of eyes, her own widening before she glanced down at the sword which now was not in a small hole, but the tip was now hanging a few inches above the skulls under her feet.

Inuyasha, who had found himself pinned to the wall of the his father's ribs, looked on in horror and shock while his brother's eyes reflected something different and it wasn't a good emotion. The poison on his claws dripped down and struck the skull below him with a 'hiss'. It was the only sound in the whole room as Jaken himself stood just feet behind Kagome, his jaw open and slack as he tried to formulate a thought. Myoga was unsure what to make of this situation, but seeing the look in the older male's eyes as well he jumped away. "I I I didn't m-ean to," she managed to stutter out at the look that seemed to seethe out of Sesshoumaru's golden gaze. It was murder. Pure and simple as that and she knew it. "Well, um, I guess a human can free it." That seemed to strike a nerve and he raced toward her, his claws dripping poison. The sounds of the green slime hitting the skulls and hissing made a shudder crawl up her back. She wasn't going to die here either. She didn't plan on dying for several more years, but at every turn in the Feudal Era she found herself standing on Death's welcome mat and she wasn't about to find herself on the other side of that mat. Groaning at her unlucky happenstances as she turned to run, only finding herself face-planting on the bones of the dead with a great exhale of air falling from her lips as a heat flew over her head. If she hadn't found herself on the receiving end of such an attack she would have found it funny that Jaken had just barely missed getting hit and the indignant look of shock on his face. But she had been and she hadn't seen as Sesshoumaru only grew more pissed at her escape. She looked up, the smell of the poison causing her to cough, but soon enough she cared little for the smell and began to move again.

"You fucking stupid human!" he hissed as he again took aim, Inuyasha freeing himself just seconds after the attack had flared from the older brother's claws. Inuyasha watched with wide eyes, as if the whole world had shifted, slowing down. He could see her look of fear and a strange mixture of hope. That was new as he knew death wasn't a hope for many, but mixed with the fear it was even more perplexing.

"Inuyasha!"

"Kaaagome!" Their voices echoed for seconds, meshing together until it was just Inuyasha's rough cry as he watched the oozing of slimy poison that held the pose of the girl who had just been there before slowly, his vision drawing it out, dropping to the ground in a pile of smoke and the soft sound of hissing. He didn't even think about it as he struck out, his hand hitting the poison and trying to go deep into it, but the burning was too strong. As he forced his hand from the painful substance his poison covered hand flashed behind him toward the one who had just killed the girl from the future. His claws struck Sesshoumaru's shocked form. He had not expected that at all! His half brother was a lowly half demon, but that had actually hurt! Some of the elegant armor that circled widely around his should shattered and some of his kimono split. Inuyasha didn't even spare it a second thought as he came at him again, the smell of his brother's blood hitting his nose and fueling him. He was going to fuck his brother up. The fact was that even though the first hit had caught him off guard he was less concerned about it, blowing off his anger.

"It was a human," he spat at Inuyasha, only fueling the younger male as his thoughts raced to the fact he had warned her. He had expressed this exact issue, hadn't he? He was sure he had told her that his brother would be looking to end both their lives.

And for the same reason. Human. We are human, even if I have the blood of our father flowing thru me. He struck out again, the fight starting back up as he fought with more purpose, tho his anger still boiled to the surface, he wasn't just blindly fighting for the fight. He was doing this for revenge. Again the fighting stopped again, like the pause button had been hit and they were just frozen in midair. Behind Sesshoumaru the pile of poison, the blade of the sword still pointed up. Then it did it again, the pair sure that had heard something from that direction. Again the blade moved, but this time a rather disgusted and slightly exasperated female. His mouth fell open, Jaken's followed suit, but Sesshoumaru just stared, nothing reflecting on his face how he felt, but he was thinking. It was curious, but only for a moment when he thought back to the fact that he, a full demon could not even grasp the hilt, but his brother...his brother the half demon could touch but not pull while a full fucking human could pull it ON ACCIDENT!? That did not set well with him, but what happened next caused a growl to escape.

She moved so quick, even the slipping on the skulls she did until she stood before him and Inuyasha was behind him. Inuyasha's eyes grew wide when the tip of the blade flew, still gripped in her hand, and hit his brother on the nose. The blade of course was too dull to do any good from his vantage, but the fact that it had hit the other demon was just the tip of the iceberg. "What the fuck is your problem?! You were really gone kill me because I tou-" He was quick to get over his shock and shoved her behind him, the sword still in her fingers.

"I think you've said enough," he hissed to her as his eyes held Sesshoumaru's own golden gaze. She was pushing this older brother too far and he wasn't sure if she had a death wish or she was just forgetful when it came to someone's ability to kill them. Either way she was going to end up with a very efficient Grim Reaper in his brother. Not that his brother hadn't been trying to kill him for a while, tho he never seemed to succeed in this task, but it wasn't for a lack of trying. Sesshoumaru looked between the two as Kagome muttered something under her breath and his eyes landed on her, flashing red at her statement and Inuyasha growled low, his body straightening to keep the female behind him hidden. "Just stop talking now," he almost pleaded with the female. She huffed but zipped her lips.

"You have some balls to suggest such a thing," he hissed to the woman behind his brother. "I will take destroy you both and then Tessaiga will be mine." And then as if trying to add insult to injury he continued. "Not that a weak little Hanyou could wield the very fang from our father." His eyes began to change, the purple crescent moon changing size as his body began to grow, the fur that he had laid across his body now flaring out as he became a big dog, his silver fur gleaming brightly from the lights that came into in thru his upper body that wasn't blocked by the armor still clinging to his body. He shoved Kagome back, a warning about him being more dangerous in this form. It was his true form so he wasn't constricted in power as he had been in his more human looking form. She stepped further back, again slipping on a skull as her heel caught on of the eye holes.

What is up with all these damn bones? she wondered. There had been one in the last two fights. Did demons just love them or something? Watching as Inuyasha charged forward, his body moving so quickly in his anger, at least that was what she believed it. Inuyasha on the other hand found that his anger wasn't the only thing burning in his chest as he struck his brother on his forearm only to be thrown back, the blade vibrating at his attempt while his brother's body held no injury. He looked at the blade in misery.

Of course. He gave me a complete trash of a weapon that couldn't even cut flesh, just quiver in fear. He looked up at his brother's almost laughing eyes. He was mocking him, knowing something the half breed did not. He growled at the incompetent sword and cursed his father when Myoga showed up again. This once again surprised Inuyasha, but he was more furious with the flea that he snarled at him. "This is a useless blade, if it could even be called a blade."

Myoga seemed upset at his curse toward his late master, but he stated instead, "It is a memento from your father, a great demon and you need to believe in the spiritual power of the sword!" With that last bit he bid is farewells and flew off leaving Inuyasha with the task of not only figuring out what he meant by that last statement but how was he to get this sword to cut. His eyes flickered over to his brother who was just feet from him, his breath letting out a rather poisonous gas. Jumping backward he managed to avoid the bite that melted his father's ribs quite a bit. It only took him a few more dodges to realize that the inside of his father was filling with that particular poison and if he couldn't avoid it doing harm to him as a half demon that Kagome needed to get moving. He glanced around to try and spot her on the grounds below him, but instead he found her struggling to climb the ribs like a ladder. It wasn't her fault that she was just a human, but at the same time he couldn't do much to assist her unless he could kill his brother or at least knock him for a loop. It would give him enough time to get to her and get her out before his brother would even notice he had evacuated the site. He had the sword so now that he had the useless thing he just needed to find a way out.

Oh, fuck! How the hell do we even get out of here, much less back to the real world?


	13. Chapter 13

He glanced at his brother, the instinct to beat his brother strong, but for some reason the need to protect the girl behind him was stronger.

'Buump' It was just slight, but the feeling of a heartbeat struggling to start came from the hilt of his sword. He glanced at it in surprise, but when it didn't happen again he blew it off as just his imagination. Trying again to harm his brother with the sword was useless, but he needed to get his brother to stop releasing the gas as it was getting dangerously close to Kagome. Shifting his position he ran to her side, pushing her up the rib, just one rib up, but it was enough for that moment as the gas swamped his feet. Jumping up he yanked her onto his back as more and more of the gas spilled out. His brother, even in his true form could smirk and as it grew so did the amount of his poison.

"Just eat him Lord Sesshoumaru!" came a cry from above them. They glanced up at the sound of the creature that hung around the dog demon. Kagome looked around for a moment, still on Inuyasha's back, and seeing nothing for her to throw took off one of her shoes and threw it as hard as she could. It struck the creature in the head and with a yelp he fell back into the rising gas.

"Shut up!" she yelled to the male as he disappeared. Looking to the Hanyou's hair, unable to see his eyes she said, "I believe in you, Inuyasha." She felt him stiffen under her. "The sword is yours, isn't it?" When she got no response she continued, "It can do some damage, surly. I believe in you and it."

"It can't cut for shit," he grumbled, moving up the ribs until they were high enough that he could look down at the back of his brother, his fur shifting as he too looked up at his half brother. "With my blood being that of a Hanyou I will be able to survive, but with you being a human you would be doomed to death in that poison." He felt a shift in the woman above him, a drop of something warm and wet hitting his head. "A-Are you crying?" he managed to stutter in shock at her sudden mood change. Are women this moody? He couldn't remember a time that Kikyo had been that way, and yet this woman could go from caring for his well being to being so crazy mad that he even felt the need to move back for fear of being struck. She pushed off of him, her feet hitting the rib behind him so that she was free from his body. He turned slightly so he could see her and when he could indeed see that she was tearing up, some of the moisture sliding down her face and for some reason that made his heart hurt. "Don't cry!" he commanded, her eyes narrowing at him, but he could see that she was still upset. "What is wrong with you?"

"You!" she hissed, her anger coming to the surface, even as she continued to allow the tears to run. "You are so infuriating!" He couldn't understand what was the matter with her, but he had more pressing matters and that was getting her out of here safely. He glared at her. "You ac-"

She was cut off as he said, the passion of his voice silencing any more words that would have come from her mouth, "You should just shut up and let me protect you!" Her brown eyes grew wide. "Just try to get out of here while I take care of my murderous brother!" And then he jumped off, leaving her to stare at his back in shock and something else. It was a feeling that squeezed her heart and while it didn't hurt it made her question her own feelings for the Hanyou. He had tried to kill her upon her meeting him, thinking she was someone else, but at the same time he had saved her. Maybe it was to his benefit that she lived and maybe it was something in her that tried to make it more like he cared about her. With a shake of her head she shoved that thought into the back of her mind. In the darkness it was easy to forget it was there.

'Buuump' This time he was sure he had felt the stronger pulse thru the hilt of the sword as he fell toward his brother's gaping mouth. 'Bummmp' This sword has a pulse? He questioned himself, his eyes narrowing as he landed in the midst of the skulls, some of them melted and warped from the poison of his brother. Turning his attention to his foe he held the sword out, his stance changing to ready his blade for attack. "Come at me!" he raged as the blade before him shifted, the blade glowing and growing before his very eyes. His brother's eyes narrowing at power that seemed to bleed from the blade. 'Buuuuump' To the surprise of everyone there as Inuyasha rushed up and slicing his blade at the front leg of his brother, it hit! The light from the blade almost blinding as blood began to spray from the furred leg of Sesshoumaru who let out a howl of surprise. Could he have done what he thought he had? Landing before his brother's crumbling form he felt the tickle of fur that now covered part of the hilt. The blade itself was larger, more like a fang as his brother had indicated. He was so wrapped up in the change of the blade that he took no joy or relief in the fact that Sesshoumaru was releasing more toxins as his head hit the skulls, shaking the ground with his weight. His blood gushed out, covering his once silver fur in the dark red substance.

"My Lord!" Jaken cried out in surprise and worry as Kagome just stood there, awestruck in the power that had laid dormant in the sword and in Inuyasha. She knew he had it in him, even if she knew so little about the male. She felt pride in his accomplishment, but even more so in the fact that he had done it for her. She was sure in the fact that he had uttered words she had never expected to leave his lips that he had wanted to stop the full demon from harming her. It made her feel warm and scared at the same time, the constriction of her heart still in her mind. Turning to Sesshoumaru the half demon charged again.

"This is the end, Elder Brother!" he spat as he again attacked his kin, the blade running thru his other leg, this time it came clean off, the blood sputtering out of it like the shock that all in the room were feeling at that moment as the large dog demon growled and crumpled even further. Kagome cheered as Jaken paled at the sight of his master, the one he had fallen into complete adoration for, spilling his blood because of a mere half demon. With a growl of rage Sesshoumaru used his back legs to push him up, his injured paw striking out at the space where Kagome stood, her eyes going wide at the look of complete hatred that was hazy and cloudy in the injured male's eyes. He still managed to knock her back even in his weakened state, hopping up further as his poisoned gas flew out of his mouth and toward her. With that he disappeared, leaving her to try and stay standing with the force that shook the ribs of his father. "Kagome!" he yelled as he made an attempt to jump to her, his own body feeling the effects of the poison around him, even tho with the wind that came from his brother's body jumping away from him seemed to dissolve some of the gas. His body fell short, the blade resuming its rusty looking form.

"I'm okay," she managed to say as she too fell back from the gas that was whiffing around her. It made her feel so light headed, like not only her mind was confused with the heavy feeling, but her body didn't know what it wanted to do. She, herself, knew that she had to get away from it and forcing her body, that same body confused as to what to do, was a hard task. Inuyasha made it up to her this time, the gases dispelled from around him. Grasping her in his arms he made to jump up and out of the body of his father and into the fresh air from above, the question of how they were going to leave this place still screaming at from his mind. They barely made it, but upon reaching the top they found two of the boned birds from earlier and hopped on, Myoga joining them with mention that he had secured the birds for their exit. Kagome looked at him, doubtful and Inuyasha seemed to read her mind or maybe it was flashing thru his own mind on how cowardly the little man was. He said nothing tho as they took off toward the swirling vortex of inky black that waited for them.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kagome watched as Kaede held the black pearl, her gaze searching the depths, but the question on her mind wasn't about the pearl. She found it interesting, but she was still curious about the blade that Inuyasha now held in possession. "The pearl is interesting," she stated as she handed it off to Inuyasha. "But my question is how did she freed the sword that was meant to go to Inuyasha?" Kagome also wondered this, Inuyasha sitting away from them, his eyes closed for a second as he returned the black orb to his eye. He didn't even seem to care about the conversation for a moment, his gaze normal again as he watched them.

"Hmmm," came the soft sound of Myoga, the flea feeling safe as he looked to the human females. "The sword was forged for the sole purpose of protecting his human mother," he stated, confident in his further assessments of the sword. "So, it would make sense that Kagome, a human female could free the sword." The girl from the future then pointed out that even after she had freed the blade it was still useless. "Ah, but unless the welder of the sword, like his father before him, felt affection and protective urges for a hum-" He was cut off by the scoff of Inuyasha. He glared at the flea, but Kagome and Kaede got what he was saying. Kagome had yet to reveal what the Hanyou had said to her moments before the sword had become the fang it had needed to be to protect her. She felt a heat in her cheeks and tried to school her features to remain normal, but looking at the half demon in question, his own cheeks dusted with pink.

"Then why is it rusty again!?" he growled as he swung the sword around for one second before realizing the fear that was on the older Miko's face. He didn't apologize for his worrying move, but put it back down again, the golden eyes refusing to meet the brown orbs of the female to his left. He remembered what he had said to her and although it had been said in the heat of the moment he wasn't sure why he had said it. She was the bane of his existence, not only in this time but her prior life had also been poison to him. He had let his guard down and she had used that moment to seal him to the tree. He needed to remind himself of that fact. She would do it again, he was sure of it. She wouldn't let the jewel, now or even once it was completed, fall into his hands. He wanted to be a full demon still and he was sure she knew that fact.

"Maybe it only works in battle," she suggested, tho she had a small thought that it was also because of his declaration of protection, but she wasn't about to say that for fear that he would say something that might hurt or that he would take it back. No, he can't because he wants the shards of the jewel and he's made it clear that he will use me to that extent. It was just enough of a thought that she felt her anger rise. She wouldn't be used for his end, but she would get the shard and bring the Shikon Jewel back to its real form before she would take the jewel back to her time for safety. But he can come back to my time as well, sooooo... Her thoughts drifted off, the people around her disappearing as she tried to think of anything that would deter the Hanyou from following her home. "How do I do that?" she muttered under her breath, catching the attention of the half demon who now stood as Myoga pointed out that his need to protect the raven haired child had brought the power forward, her words after only making him balk at the idea.

"What are you talking about, bitch?" he hissed, but she paid him no mind as she continued her thoughts on keeping the male from her home in the future. "Hey!" he yelled, closer to her now. This time she looked at him and he was thrown back by the weird look on her face, her eyes dazed in thought. They cleared quickly as she noted that he looked rather pissed off even as he had taken his step backward.

"What?" she questioned as she noted that even Kaede was looking at her. "Why are you all staring at me?!" she bellowed, now standing with a pure look of confusion on her face while her cheeks heated again at their stares. When Myoga questioned her about Inuyasha's proclamation of safety under his watch, her cheeks stained deeper. "Oh, um," she stuttered out. "He said something about getting me to safety," she finished, the lie enough to convince them but Inuyasha grew even more heated in his gaze, his own words echoed back at him. He was unnerved by the fact that she didn't remember or...

Is she lying or does she not remember what I said to her? His eyes narrowed on her, distrust swirling in his eyes. "As if I could let you die, at least not there!" he proclaimed so suddenly that all eyes now fell on him, a smile lifting Kaede's lips while at the same time she was unsure if it was such a good thing that the Hanyou before her was issuing his feelings in such a way.

"I thank you for that," Kagome stated, now moving toward the door. "But I am not some damsel in distress and can take care of myself." Sometimes. It was something to admit you were weak, but she did have some pride in herself. He scoffed and muttered something hateful under his breath. Her eyes flashed, anger making them glisten. "Osuwari!" she gritted out, the flap opening with the gust of wind from his fall into the dirt. "And to think," she stated as she took the flap in her fingers. "I thought you had some goodness in you." With that she was gone, the flap closing behind her. Kaede chuckled, Myoga holding his own sigh back at the departure of the girl whom had brought life and power back into the rusty blade that now lay under the smashed Hanyou.

"You should really work on that attitude, Master Inuyasha," he stated to the surprise of both the downed half demon and the elder Miko. One would have thought that being the underling of such a hot tempered Master he would have gotten used to it or would have acted as the creature known as Jaken had. He had not been too upset with his ill treatment, taking it in stride. Myoga was not one to hold back in his feelings...well, with Inuyasha incapacitated the way he was at the moment anyway. When the Hanyou began to move so did the flea, evading the claws that flew toward him.

"That stupid bitch," he ground out, still struggling against the glowing beads around his neck.  
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It was a long week for the pair as they moved thru the forest and further out to find any trace of the jewel and while they had found three shards it was becoming clear that quite a bit of them were not as close as Kagome would have hoped. At the sun burned high in the skies above her she pedaled, her bike moving slowly on the dirt paths that sometimes didn't seem smooth enough for her to continue trekking on the roads. Such a tedious task but I refuse to ride on his back. She glanced toward the tree tops where the male she had just been thinking about sat, his posture telling her he was irritated. She remembered his frustration at her refusal to take his offer up. Instead she had stated quite heatedly that she would ride her bike as long as she could and would not be a burden to him by riding on his back.

"It's more of a burden for me to have to wait for you and that contraption," he spat, his eyes opening upon hearing her close in on his location. She had to admit that it was taking longer with her riding the bike, but she still didn't want to ride his back. "You should have left it back in your time." At his continued complaints on the matter she huffed and forced herself to ride on. Her legs were screaming at the torture of riding for long hours and rough terrain, but she forced them to continue their labor as she finally crested the hill she had been going up.

"I can do this," she muttered her encouragement to herself as Inuyasha flew over her, his feet just gracing the limbs of the trees as he continued, leaving her behind even with the fact that she could see the shards and he could not. He didn't say a word to her as he continued on, but she knew he was mad at her refusal and she was kinda mad at herself. She didn't want to have to rely on him, but she couldn't keep up with him all the time and it was rather frustrating so with another huff she climbed off her bike. She looked around an noted that there was someone in the bushes to her right. She raised a brow, but blew it off when no other sound was heard. Not a breath on the wind or a shuffle of the bushes that littered the small area. She looked forward and noting that there was a small lake up ahead she could feel her muscles clamoring for the comfort of the water, even if she was sure that it was cold. Smiling again she hopped on her bike, the yellow backpack that she had started carrying with her when coming to the era weighing even more than it had when she had started.

"Are you coming or not?" She had been so distracted by the sound of movement in the bushes that had now quietened she had failed to hear the Hanyou come back, tho it wouldn't have surprised her that she couldn't hear his movements at times. He moved like a feather, his demon blood giving him a predator like movements that had she been a meal for him she would have surely already been digested. Frowning at that thought she gave herself a mental head shake.

"Yeah," she said, her eyes still glancing at the area she had heard the sound, but ignoring it for the waters that were calling her name. Beginning her toil toward the reward in the distance she watched his shadow fly over her again. Should I tell him about the possibility that they were not alone? She dismissed that idea knowing he would just tell her that no one would be approaching them as she looked so strange on her contraption and was also hanging around with one such as he. She knew his statement to be true, but was unsure as to why him being there would deter visits from the villagers that surely walked this path. That was until she noted that as they made their way down the road this last week that indeed people looked at her with such distrust that only magnified upon his arrival near her. Soon the pair found themselves at the lake, her smile waning slightly from the overexertion, but letting the Hanyou know that she really just needed to bath from the sweat on her body she soon found herself alone, but refusing to get completely naked in the water she stripped down. Her bright red swimsuit clung to her sweaty body, but it was better than chancing that some unknown or known male could come across her bathing.

Shivering she sunk into the waters, the surface still save for the ripples of her movement. Sighing in relief she sank below the water and failed to notice that a lone monkey had crept closer, its beady black eyes watching her disappear below the water before grasping her clothing that she had laid out. Her yellow bag wasn't light enough for its small form, but the clean clothing she had laid out was and off it went with those few articles. When she reemerged she found her brown eyes meeting those of her male companion and with a squeak she fell back with a resounding splash. He raised his brows at her reaction.

"You still have clothing on, idiot!" he barked. She glared back at him as she got back to her feet. Before she could respond he noted that it smelled weird around the area she was in. "You haven't noticed anything strange have you?" Still slightly upset at having her alone time interrupted she shook her head and began to head to where her yellow bag sat. She then noticed that her clothing was gone and shot him a look.

"My clothing is gone!" He looked at where she was pointing and looked a bit blankly at the female before him. "I laid it out so I didn't have to get my bag wet!" she clarified with a shout. They both looked off into the forest as a male voice full of misery filled the air.

"This isn't food!" He was close enough to the pair that without a word the Hanyou shoved her onto his back, her hands finding a hold as her legs instinctively clung tightly to him as he took off without notice. She looked back for a second at her bike and the bag sitting next to it, but at the thought of someone wanting her strange items she turned her attention and her gaze back forward to watch the blur of trees that passed them. Who would have thought her clothing was food? No human could be that stupid so had it been an animal to wander off with it? Again that seemed rather strange. Clothing was clothing no matter what era! They found the culprit and learned of his story, Inuyasha wanting to get on the road again, but they stayed to listen and eat since she found his lack of energy due to no substance a little sad. Inuyasha glared the female feeding the new male and although he was rather mad at her he was even more surprised at the mission of this new guy. He was after a woman, a woman that had been taken to a castle to live and even though he was rather upset about her being sent there he was more upset about the lord of said castle.

"You love her, don't you?" Kagome inquired of him, the look on his face answering question but bothering the half demon at her boldness.

"I'm just concerned for her welfare," he stated simply, but even as he said it she could see his eyes filtering the fear and love he had for the woman. "I have heard that the lord has become possessed, taking not just her but several other girls to his castle and," he paused and the pair could see his skin becoming paler at the words he was trying to spit out thru the lump that had formed in his throat. "that he's been eating them." At that information even Kagome felt a shiver go up her spine.

Eating them? What the hell? Then she looked over at Inuyasha who was getting up, his eyes flashing and she realized what he was thinking. He wants to go and see if this particular demon has a shard. Getting up as well she informed the young male still engrossed in his imagination of the girls being consumed. "Let's go then!" Rushing off to grab her bike she was stopped as Inuyasha grasped her upper arm.

"You're not riding that contraption. It'll take too long and we need to get over there quickly." She nodded, thinking for once that this situation required them getting there before more women were consumed. Climbing on his back, neither were aware she didn't have her bow or the arrows with her as Nobunaga began to head off in the direction of the castle only to find himself falling off a cliff.


	14. Chapter 14

It had taken very little time to reach the castle, the walls around it towering over them. Inuyasha turned to Kagome and without saying it she knew what he wanted so she did it, knowing that it would stop the fight that would ensue if she didn't, but then Nobunaga followed suit to the disgust of Inuyasha. "What do you think you are doing?" he growled, Kagome pointing out that he was the one with the mission and even though she wasn't as comfortable with the strange male next to her either, they needed to hurry and stop the supposed demon. "Doesn't mean I'm a fucking pack mule," he growled back, but still took them over the wall and into the main yard of the castle. Looking around it wasn't hard to notice that something was amiss, the heavy feeling in the courtyard making the trio uneasy.

"That's strange," Kagome stated as she moved further into the yard. The yards were dark, almost foggy in a way, that you couldn't see too far in front of you and yet she continued to move away from her companions. "There are no guards, or any people walking around." Sure it was later in the day, just turning into night, but in a castle such as this is was uncommon for there to be no one watching out for the safety of the occupants. When Kagome disappeared around the corner, her startled gasp drawing the Hanyou to find out what she had found as the other male Nobunaga moved toward another direction. Inuyasha almost growled at the female and male that even noting the scarcity of humans guarding the grounds had just gone off without a care. Turning the same corner he found a guard resting against a tree, his spear having slid down to the floor, but no Kagome.

"Kagome?" he hissed into the darkness of the courtyard and when he couldn't find her he let his nose scent her out, but it came back with a stale trail. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air, her scent just in the spot closest to the guard, but then it was gone. With it was a slight sour smell, the smell of his prey. Even that seemed stale too but his scent was all around them. He turned back as Nobunaga's voice could be heard calling out for the princess he had been on his way to save. Humans have no fucking smarts! He swore under his breath, his slight worry for the female that had been his companion for a week rising as he noted that following the other male they came upon several other occupants of the castle, their bodies slumbering, but it was when they came upon the princess that he became even more uncomfortable. He could smell the youkai in the building, its stench so foul and stronger than it had been in the courtyard, that he wanted to cover his nose while at the same time wanting to kill it as quickly as possible.

When she failed to stir to his shaking of her form, nor did she answer to his calling of her name, tho no body moved around them. Strangely enough the person that the Hanyou had failed to even think would find his way into the castle full of negative energy did indeed show his face. "Ah, a beautiful princess," Myoga stated, his eyes full of lust for the blood of the woman laying on the ground, her breathing so light that one would think she were dead save for the rise and collapse of her chest as her lungs filled with air. "It is my duty to awaken this damsel!" Jumping off of the fire-rat and onto the still form of the princess he began to enjoy his fill of her blood. At first it didn't seem that it would work, but just as they thought that her pale hand struck her face, effectively ending his slurping of her blood.

"N-Nobunaga?" she whispered in confusion. "What are you doing here?" He seemed rather surprised at her remembrance of his name, but Inuyasha cut them both off, the disappearance of his companion still forefront on his mind. Where could she had gone and although he wanted to believe that she was stronger than the other females of his time. He had been fighting along side her for just a short time, but even in that time he hadn't had to rescue as often as he thought he would have. Still, this male was putting people to sleep and she could have been caught of guard.

"Where is this fucker that's making such a stink over human females?" he growled, the princess startling at the fact that there was another person with Nobunaga. Strangely enough, she didn't really answer his question, instead relayed the facts that had brought them here.

"When I first came here it was wonderful. The Lord was such a handsome and caring individual, but just as I was getting used to living here he changed," she stated, looking rather sad abet a little scared as she continued with her story. "He collapsed over by the pond and since that day has begun to change. His kindness has become a thing of the past and his figure," she stopped as a shudder made its way up her spine. Any words that would have found themselves filling the air were gone as the ground began to tremble below them, the wood shaking so violently that it was a struggle to stay standing.

"Take the princess and go," Inuyasha stated as he turned to where the footsteps were coming from, his eyes narrowing at the bulky figure that came into view of the trio. "Seems the Lord has come to collect."

"My princess, who is it that you have with you this evening?" he growled out, his voice hissing a warning to the group. "More trespassers and yet you have only males with you and no more females." The information that he was aware of their other companion sent a wave of anger over the Hanyou and distress as to where Kagome could be or if she was even still alive. He couldn't smell her on the bandaged toad shaped male, but that wasn't to say that in the short time she had been missing he hadn't eaten her. "You should leave before I kill you," the thing hissed, his tongue flying out from his bandaged lips. Inuyasha flew back as it just barely missed him, and with a quick glance at the pair behind him he warned them off, an instruction that they took and ran with.

"Where is she?" the Hanyou growled at the toad shaped male. "Where is the girl you took from our group?" When the male just laughed, his eyes closed for a moment and he seemed to be savoring something, but Inuyasha took that chance to bare his claws at the creature, slicing his face, the bandages falling from his face. A gasp came from behind Inuyasha and without looking back he knew that the pair hadn't gone far.

"My Lord!" the princess cried out in alarm, his face now seen for what he was and indeed he was a toad. When his eyes opened they flashed in anger as he looked at the Hanyou who had disfigured his face further in his opinion, the blood from the wound on his face splattering lightly on the floor.

"I'm going to tear him to pieces!" the half demon hissed as he took off toward the offending demon, its black eyes narrowing as the flesh around its eyes began to cover some of the black ire. Myoga, still holding onto the beads of the rosary yelled out a warning.

"He isn't your normal variety of demon!"

"Looks easy enough!" was the response as his claws again aimed to slice thru the face of the frog staring back at him. When the frogs cheeks suddenly bulged into round orbs as big as a bowling ball then Inuyasha grew concerned, but blowing it off he still came at the creature. Unfortunately he was closer than was safe as the fog that had littered the courtyard came busting out of his mouth.

"It's miasma!" the flea cried as he jumped away from the downed Hanyou and toward the other human male that was close as Inuyasha felt the fog burn his lungs and flesh. It wasn't really burning him, but the sensation of the poison it held made it feel like that. Clutching his throat in pain he wasn't aware that the monster had moved past him and toward Nobunaga and the princess that had fainted from the exposure of the male who had once been her beloved Lord and Master.

"Tsuyu-hime!" he called, his voice filled with a husky lust for the female in the young male's arms. He pulled her closer, his eyes narrowing at the toad.

"Leave her alone! She doesn't want to be with you!" Growling at the impertinence of the unknown male he thrust his tongue out, the firm thickness hitting him in the shoulder, entering his flesh and exiting so quickly that had anyone been watching they wouldn't have seen the action, just the spurt of blood that coated his backside and the wooden floor behind him. Flicking his tongue he discarded the small male on top of the recovering Hanyou. Taking the now discarded female he was off. Nobunaga was struggling to stand, making the half demon he was still sitting on more and more pissed off until he threw the male away from him too. Knowing that if Kagome had been here he wouldn't have been allowed to treat the other human like that, but as she was still missing he could care less about the other male. He just needed to see if she was still alive and mainly he needed to see if there was a shard here! Rushing off after the toad, he was pulled to a stop at the tug of his fire-rat robe's pant leg. He wanted to kick the kid off, but when the male used him to struggle up to his own feet he knew that the male was in a pretty similar situation.

"Well?" he growled, asking without much if the male could make it. Nodding the pair took off down the hall, his golden eyes narrowing at the fact he was being slowed down by another human.  
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Meanwhile the princess awoke to find herself in a darkened room, the back part of it seeming to be filled with what appeared to be fish eggs or maybe frog eggs as she recalled that her Lord was now a frog demon. She had wondered plenty of times in the last few weeks about his appearance, but the rumors of the maidens that had been brought to his castle had also caused her some concern. She was sure he was devoted to her, well, before he had collapsed, but bringing more women into a marriage had hurt her.

"I love you so much, my princess," came the raspy voice of the toad, her head turning to see that indeed he was in the doorway. "I just want to gobble you up as I have the other maidens that have come this castle." She gasped at his words. He had been eating the women, not cavorting with them?! She backed up at the lust for her soul burned in his black orbs as he took a small step toward her. As her back hit something cold and slimy, the ooze sticking to her clothing. Turning back she came face to face with another female, her body still clothed, tho in strange attire. Her body was curled up, but at the touch of the ball to the princess her eyes opened, the fear in them holding her still. Her chocolate orbs took in the princess, her mouth moving, but no words left those pale lips. "Ah, she is a new addition from that group," he spat. "She is so unique in her attire, wouldn't you say? Alas she isn't ready for consumption." Turning back to the toad she felt the tears that were burning her eyes. As she took another step back, the toad following her deeper into the balls filled with woman she vaguely noted that some women, tho naked still retained their human form while others were becoming more like tadpoles. While her attention was on those changes his tongue came out and captured her, everything going dark.  
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Still moving slowly, the pair of males moved thru the walls, well as Inuyasha used his fists to bring the wooden panels down. Nobunaga now walked behind the half demon, his need to free the princess from her captor making him strong enough to allow the male before him freedom to move as he liked. Inuyasha began to move quicker as his nose twitched with a familiar scent and although it was faint it was not as stale as before in the courtyard. He could smell her and with another punch he found himself in a rather dark and stinky room. It was filled with the fresh smell of sour that came from the frog demon they had been hunting for among smells of women that were growing fainter with each step, tho he could smell Kagome in the mix. Taking only a few more steps revealed that behind all the balls of darkness there was the frog, his webbed hands holding an orb still, the princess in the ball while to her left was another worn out female, Kagome.

"Princess!" Nobunaga yelled as he tried to charge forward, the frog laughing again at the fact that the male couldn't take more than a step before falling to his knees. Inuyasha growled low at the enemy, his fingers inching toward the sword at his side.

"As I was telling you before, Master," Myoga said, coming out from under Inuyasha's silver mane. "He is a 300 year old youkai who is called Tsukumo no Gama and normal attacks will NOT work!" The half demon glanced at him, beckoning him to tell him more of the demon before him and yet seeming not to care for his underlings advice. "He will wait til these girls' souls are ripe and then he will consume them!" His golden gaze turned toward where Kagome floated, her eyes half lidded, but she was attempting to move, her body glowing a faint pink as it had a few times in the past. She was pointing toward her throat and looking over at the toad as she mouth something. He couldn't understand at first until she motioned to the side where the Shikon no Tama had rested in her body before again pointing at the frog's throat this time.

"He's got a shard," he hissed to his flea companion. "Kagome is motioning toward his neck so that's where is must be." Before he could make a move tho the wounded male behind him brandished a sword high in his hands and staggered forward in a weak attempt to strike the frog. Growling low in his throat as the male was easily swatted to the side he brandished his own sword, the blade growing at the feeling of protection the Hanyou felt for the human girl in the frog egg, but upon striking the frog, his blood coloring the floors, he found it to be a mistake as the frog turned toward the closest egg that held a ripe soul and gobbled it up before their very eyes. Nobunaga took this chance to scoot closer to the princess and Kagome, his eyes watching the frog laugh as he consumed another and his wounds disappeared as if they had never happened.

"Ha ha, you fucking fools!" he crowed in triumph as he edged further back among the captured maidens. "Keep on slicing me," he taunted, his fingers brushing over the souls in the eggs. "For every cut on my body I shall eat more of these maidens until they are all gone and then I will find me more to eat. I will never die!" As he blocked his own vision of his newest trophies Nobunaga used that moment to slice the egg holding his princess, her body flowing out in the slime that had kept her still, while Kagome pushed her hand against the edge of the orb. Inuyasha glanced at her out the corner of his eye and growled at the male holding the princess. If he didn't free the other female and she died because of this he would use his blades of blood to leave him in a puddle of his own organs and life force. As the princess grasped him, her fingers like a vice and her tears sliding in waterfalls from her eyes he turned his attention to the other girl that needed his immediate attention. At least that was the gist he was getting from the growl he was getting from the Hanyou who he knew could very well do him some harm.

Moving the princess to the side, tho her cries still wracked her small form he cut the egg holding Kagome. She slide out, but unlike the princess when she slide out, her gasps of pain and shock were stronger, no tears to be seen. She was trying to point to her neck again as another wave of nausea shook her body. Inuyasha was torn between assisting her and taking down the toad that had noticed that some of his captives were free. His eyes narrowed on the women sitting close to the human male. "How dare you!" he cried out in anger. "Those are mine and you are not allowed to touch what is mine!" Nobunaga frowned, and leveling himself up again he held the blade still dripping the ooze from the eggs, ready to tear into the toad, but Inuyasha beat him to it with a flick of his wrist his sword struck the top of the demon. As the half bred watched his human companion he noticed that her breathing was better considering how long she may have been in the egg. She wasn't pointing at her neck anymore as she threw up, some blood mixed in, but not enough to concern her as she gasped out one word.

"Fire." She said no more as she laid back on her arms, her legs bent awkwardly to her sides as she took in long breaths.

"Tsuyu-hime?" came a soft voice from the lips of the toad that now looked confused, his webbed fingers stroking his face in a disoriented manner. It was telling as the princess looked away from Nobunaga, her eyes filled with hope and love. "Where a-am I?" When his fingers touched his face with less hesitation as he realized that he was not in his own body he became visibly upset.

"My Lord!" she cried out in relief, trying to reach for him, but still held back by his appearance and the fact that she herself wasn't sure of his mindset. He looked to her and noticed that there were eggs all around them and he then looked at his princess and Kagome that still sat behind him. Inuyasha didn't trust the creature before him, but he held still waiting for more to come forward.

"I-I did this?" he seemed completely innocent of all that had happened and Kagome was the first to realize that he was still human under that, the toad himself stating that fact just minutes after. "I remember when the mononoke first took over my body it left my human heart, but af-ft-" he stuttered off becoming slightly nauseous of his unknown deeds. He didn't even want to think about that, but when he became frightened with the knowledge that was staring at him the toad took back over. Before he took over completely the man in the toad pleaded with Inuyasha to kill him. Kagome struggled to stand now, her lips moving as she rushed to give Inuyasha the information that had been formed when she had been in the egg, unable to talk and only left with little time to form a plan. The fact that she hadn't gone unconscious for long was a shock for her, but she had still been lost for a moment in the goo.

"Fire, w-we need fire," she finally spit out, the toad turning his attention to her with a glare and an attempted shot at her with his tongue. The half demon sliced out again, this time slicing the toad's tongue in half before it would have done any harm to the small female.

"Fire?" Nobunaga queried. "What good will fire do?" At her glare, her voice still too weak to communicate her reasons, he moved back a bit. Luckily for the group the monkey that traveled with Nobunaga had brought just that, tho a little small for her idea. The toad had stepped back now, tho not too frightened of the small flame the monkey had brought, but with the idea that he would be taken from the form he had taken. Looking around him the toad began to devour the women in the balls of goo which prompted Nobunaga to charge forward, Inuyasha grabbing the fire from the monkey. Nobunaga managed to stop the toad from devouring more of the women, but he couldn't hold him for long, his small form too light to weigh down the larger male. The half demon didn't know what to do with the flame, but he had to do something, tho this felt below him in some way. It was then that Kagome remembered she kept a lighter on her for starting their camp fires and struggling with movement to free the small item from the pocket of her skirts was a task in itself but upon removing it she noted that it was covered in goo.

Damn it! She knew that even with it wet it would still be fine for her plan, but her plan meant she would have to put her mouth on it and that made her gag slightly. Inuyasha looked to her in confusion at the device he had seen her use in their travels, but if she had had that this whole time what had she needed the small bowl of light in his hand for? "I need to get closer," she whispered, her voice ragged, but her throat starting to feel better. She then did something that had him really confused and worried, her lips closing over the lighter's top and sucking on it for a moment. He seemed to realize she needed the toad to be closer so he hoisted her up with his arms under her armpits, her cheeks rounded out as she grasped the fire that Inuyasha was still holding. The male holding the toad had heard her words and with a twist of his lean body he shoved the toad toward them as she blew her weaponized breath over the small flame, her hands shaking slightly.

All of the occupants in the room watched in shock at the blaze that flared out and enveloped the toad. With a cry of pain the toad's youkai burst out and tried to escape, Kagome forcing Inuyasha to drop her as she pointed to the middle of the fleeing tadpole like demon. "You don't have to tell me twice," he yelled as he struck out with his bared claws and the youkai was gone, the small shard of the jewel falling out. With a sigh Kagome smiled softly before falling back in relief.


	15. Chapter 15

It wasn't long after that the pair was heading back toward Kaede's Village, tho they were not headed for the village itself.

"So, Inuyasha and Kagome are back already?" the elder Miko asked in surprise. She hadn't seen the pair return and surly they would have checked in with her, at least Kagome would have as they had formed an unlikely relationship.

"Ah, they did, but before they had even taken a moment to stop they were off again, well, more like the Lady Kagome was off again to the Bone Eater's Well with the half demon following in a rather," he paused as if to think of the word he wanted to describe the moody male. "Pissed off state." Kaede shook her head. Of course he was pissed off because in the last few weeks that the girl from the future had been helping to correct what she had done in regards to the jewel, she had also disappeared into the well back to her time making the Hanyou irritated with all that crossed paths with him. She herself was used to his behaviors and took it in stride, but the other villagers, tho finding it rather funny also found him quite terrifying when the girl left him behind. Looking toward the area where the well resided she let a chuckle pass her lips as the sound of Inuyasha's attempt to keep the girl on this side echoed.  
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"Just you fucking wait one fucking minute!" came a bellow of heat from the Hanyou who chased behind the girl that rode her bike as fast as she could down the dirt roads, her yellow bag bouncing behind her with each bump on the rode. She didn't even spare him a glance as she hoped to get to the well before he had even noticed her disappearance, but he had figured it out when she had been halfway there and thus it had turned into a race.

"I have a life, ya know!" she yelled back as the well came into view. Unfortunately for her so did Inuyasha as he jumped over her, his feet landing on the edge of the well. She skidded to a stop, barely quick enough but fast enough that she didn't hit said well and tumble over or she landed into the irate arms of the male glowering down at her. "MOVE!" He shook his head, his ears flattening at the tone of her voice.

"You can't be running off all the damn time!" he growled lowering the top half of his body so that his eyes were level with her brown orbs. "We need to get the shards of the jewel first! They are more important than whatever you have going on over there!" Her eyes narrowed at his words. As if her own life were not as important as the shards? Really, not that it wasn't true that her studies paled in comparison to keeping the powerful shards out of demon and human fingers' alike, but in her time grades were what defined your status and to her she needed to get back over there and take care of it. It was bad enough that she had missed so many classes as it was, but she wasn't planning on living in the Feudal Era for the rest of her life!

"I told you that I would return when I was done! What more can you ask of me?!" She moved off the bike, her eyes watching to see if her words had any impact on the Hanyou before her, but sadly he just stood his ground and she knew that she wouldn't be able to get around him without pissing him off further. Pursing her lips she debated on if she would use the one word that would get her passage to her time, but in the end would not only piss him off and cause him to possibly follow her to her time. She needed to get back home and he needed to understand, but that would never happen and she was sure this would always be the case when she had to travel back for her studies or to visit her family. "I know that you can't understand with that one track mind of yours, but I have an exam to take tomorrow and I need to study!" she almost wailed in anger. "I am already having issues with my attendance and now you want me to flunk out?!" He didn't understand those words, but he could hear her pleading tone and the fact that she was obviously pissed off.

"Fine," he spat, but just when she thought that he was actually allowing her to go he turned around and grabbed the biggest boulder he could find. Her brow rose in confusion as to what he could be doing with it, but when he turned to look down at the entrance of the well she got the gist pretty quickly. "If I destroy it then you can't go back to that strange place!" Her eyes grew wide as he made to drop the boulder and without a second thought as to what would happen she began to scream out that word.

Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! Osuwari! OSUWARI!" With every chant of the word his beads glowed brighter, his body dancing in his effort to keep the rock over his head and his body upright. In the end he lost, the boulder crashing after his body hit the ground. Looking at him with a bit of pity until his muffled 'bitch' comment hit her ears and her eyes narrowed and she hissed the word one more time to ensure that she still didn't appreciate being called that word. Jumping into the well she said, "Do not come over here! I will be back in a few days!" And with that she was gone, leaving the Hanyou on the ground, his pride shattered again along with his spine.  
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Kagome stood up, her eyes turning to the roof off the well house just in time to find her face hit with something that splashed her with a distinct smell of sake. Growling in irritation she found her grandfather looking down at her in surprise, and seeing her anger a little bit of worry. Kagome was known to be a nice girl, but when you got on her bad side, like Inuyasha, you found yourself in a world of hurt.

"Grandfather!" He backed up at her scream of frustration. She was going to have to take a bath now, not that she had much time before she had to head to school. Good thing that I stopped wearing my school uniform over there... She had realized early on that fighting demons in a school uniform was just not practical as she would end up on her face with her panties exposed to the world or she would have to buy another outfit when her mother couldn't repair the damage done to it. Climbing out from the well she noticed that her brother, Sota, was there waiting and she knew why he was waiting too. "He didn't come back with me," she stated firmly. At his crestfallen face she shook her head. He knew that she had not allowed the half demon back with her after the last time he had come over with her. Sighing she shook some of the sake off of her and headed toward the house, her feet sloshing in her now wet socks. Cringing at the weird feeling she took them off at the back door into the house and yanking the socks off she took them with her to put in the hamper with the rest of her dirty clothing.

Thirty minutes later found her with Sota heading down the shrine steps just as a woman got out of taxi, her face down looking at a flat box in her hands. She didn't make eye contact with them, but as she walked away from the shrine, passing within a foot of Kagome a feeling crept down the raven haired girl's spine. When she looked back over her shoulder she found herself frozen at the feeling that was coming off of the woman whose back was now to her, but she turned back and blowing it off with the knowledge that this wasn't the past. There were no youkais in her time and she was just coming down from the alertness that came from being in the Feudal Era. Forcing herself to relax she rushed off to school, unaware that the feeling she had been feeling was correct and that she should have stopped to listen to her gut giving her a warning.

Upon entering the school grounds she was swamped by her three friends and then a surprise appearance from Hojo, a boy who she had gone to school with a for a while now and although most of the girls fawned over the cute boy she found no attraction to him. He was just another student to her, abet one that seemed to choose this moment in time to approach her with a gift. She looked at him as he held it out for her, her expression saying a lot, but when he told her why he was giving her a gift and after all her friends seemed to believe from her grandfather's mouth she found that she was quite upset.

"For your bunions," he clarified, although with all the elderly ailments she was beginning to think that her grandfather was using her time in the Feudal Era to his advantage. Forcing a smile to her lips she thanked him and quickly made an exit from the conversation. Her friends followed close behind her, jealous that the boy to be bound to was giving her gifts all the time. Every time she came back from the past she found a new illness that she was "ailing" from and a new gift from the coveted male.

"Are you dating Hojo?" her friend Ayumi gushed out, her eyes going glossy at the thought of her friend dating the more popular classmate. Eri squealed at the idea, but all girls quickly crashed when Kagome shook her head.

"No way," she stated. "With all that is going on in my life now," Including in the past... "I don't have the time." Her friends didn't take that answer too well, but at the same time they knew with the fact that soon they would find themselves in high school and her being the one that was struggling the most, that she was probably right. Trying to get them to drop it she headed into the school, but her friends wouldn't relent about the fact that the one heart throb of their school was interested in her while she seemed cold to the idea of dating him or any male.

"Do you have a boyfriend already?" Yuka inquired, her eyes narrowing on her friend as they made their way to their classroom, the girls following her to her desk, still watching her for any indications of her love life. Frowning she shot that idea down as well, telling them that as she had said before she had no time for such trivial things as a boyfriend.

"I wouldn't even have time for dating or anything with school and shit," she muttered, hoping again that they would get the idea and leave it alone, but her friends were like a dog with a bone. At that thought she giggled, this caused them to move closer in question to that sudden mirth. "Seriously you guys!"

"What would be your type?" Yuka asked her. All of them grew quiet for a moment as she looked thoughtful, the words spilling out of her mouth without her even thinking about it.

"Well, he needs to be kind and thoughtful as well as not being the violent type or controlling," she listed off as thoughts of Inuyasha flooded her brain. "He can't be selfish or short tempered." Their eyes grew wider with every word. They were coming to the conclusion that Kagome had been lying to them and she indeed had a boyfriend, but at that moment she seemed to go into that very mind, forgetting that she was in school. I'm sure that he is cursing up a storm about me and all those sits I had to throw his way. Scoffing she shook her head. "He should have known better than to think he could control me." When a gasp hit her she realized that she had said that last bit out loud as well as in her mind. God dammit. But before her friends could bombard her with questions as to why she had said that the teacher for her period walked in, telling the class to be seated. She felt the weight of all the eyes on her, their questions burning in their eyes, but thankfully they couldn't say anything at the moment and hopefully they would forget. Tho I'm more than certain they won't let this go.  
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Kagome found herself feeling rather down the next day after all the tests were taken and her time to return to the Feudal Era drawing closer. Sighing as her friends walked out from the school she knew by the look on their faces what they wanted to talk about, but as they drew closer the sound of a car's horn blaring and the squeal of tires on assault drew her attention from them. She turned just in time to see a woman get struck by a car, the momentum from the hit causing the car to bounce off of the woman and toward Kagome. Brown eyes wide as it all seemed to move in slow motion, the car squealing in protest to the strikes it had taken, the sound of her friends screaming at her to move and her own movements to roll away. In the end when the dust cleared Kagome found that she was okay, a minor scratching from the roads, but otherwise okay as she noted the car had been further from her than she had thought.

What now held her attention was the body of the woman who had been struck. Where was she?! All that lay testament to what she was looking at, that she wasn't crazy and that there had just been an accident. There was blood...The car was still crashed in the wall of the school...But where was the body? "Kagome!" She turned to see her friends there, but it was almost like her ears were plugged, their voices coming from far away. She turned to where they were pointing and horror quickly filled her heart before it fell into her stomach. The people who had been in the other car were slumped back, but there was not a head on either of them. She turned back as everything seemed to resume at normal and promptly felt the energy she could only describe as demon energy, its chilly aura making her shudder. It was strange to her as she had only come to find herself being able to track demonic energy in the last week or so.

She looked up and around her but as she was still new to this she still couldn't point out the exact location of the demon. Only Inuyasha could do that, his nose so powerful that it could tell you what you ate two days prior. Running across the street she noted more blood splatter and then suddenly she found herself face to face with what she had been seeking and instantly her mind blank in fear as she recalled what she was looking at. Noh Mask! Just the thought of what that thing could do was about to be shown to her if she didn't move, but she didn't need to figure that out as Inuyasha jumped down and removed her from her certain death. She looked up in surprise as he dropped her down in a yard clear from the Mask for the moment. "I thought so," he stated. At her surprised look he looked away for a moment, as if in thought. "Your brother, Sota, was in the well house and well I figured something was up." She raised a brow. Her brother in the well house?

"Um, okay, its a good thing you're here because that thing has a shard of the jewel in its forehead." It came out as a jumbled mess but he seemed to get the gist of it, though his brow did raise in question to her sudden change in attitude.

"I saved you, but now I want an apology for the other day," he stated, his heroic status dropped a notch. At her surprised and confused gaze he clarified as if she were stupid. "You know. The stream of sits you did to me the other day in my era." She narrowed her gaze, her brows coming down.

"Really?" she whispered harshly and in a disbelieving tone that became more pissy with each question that she voiced. "You are really something, aren't you? So fucking sorry that I hurt your feelings because what you need is so much more important than what I, a mere woman, would need to do." The sarcastic tone lost on him as he accepted her apology. OMG? Did he just ignore my tone or does he really not understand sarcasm? He turned from her, his ears twitching.

"It's here," was all he said before just seconds later the very bulk, blob of human parts, some still complete with their accessories of rings or bracelets. It was even flesh colored as its body bulged and moved in such a sick manner that Kagome found her stomach turning. She would have to get over this squeamish reaction to things that she had seen in movies and hadn't felt the need to throw up. Maybe not knowing such things exist made it less sickening to realize then when you see it? "What is that thing?" he hissed in disgust. Oh that made her feel better, to at least know that being half demon he still didn't find this normal.

"The Noh Mask," she stated in a low voice, not sure why the thing wasn't attacking, but still spilling information out, "The shard is in its forehead, just between the eyes." He nodded as the mask began to talk in a rather effeminate tone that shook with several over tones from its victims.

"I am the Adhering Mask, and I was back in the era where someone careless brought me joy as a fragment of the shattered Shikon no Tama found itself embedded in me. I grew to yearn for my own body, but these humans are useless, breaking easily and as quickly as I consume them." Its eyes turned to Kagome. "That's why I want the jewel shards you have on you." She shook her head, her hands clenching on the jewels that she had around her neck in a small jar, the cork top holding the few shards they had. "I must have them and I will eat you if I must since my other snacks have already been digested." The pair watched as its face split down the middle, vertically splitting the face to reveal some rather sharp, abet wooden looking teeth that seemed to grow longer as its craw widened. Inuyasha pulled back for a second before jumping forward, his claws ready to do some damage.

"I'll don't care what you have to say cuz all I have to say is you are too full of yourself!" his claws tearing a chasm in the orgy of bodies as the mask screamed out, its hands still trying to reach the jewels. As Inuyasha surveyed his work Kagome moved forward, looking for which head held the jewel when the mass on either side of her began to shift, Inuyasha's ears twitching as he managed to grab her upper arm and pull her out in time, neither of them sustaining any injury from the enemy. Was it because it was too bulky to move quickly or was they were already working in a very easy camaraderie after weeks of acclimating to each other? The mask let out an exasperated growl at its failed attempt to obtain the jewels, but it wasn't done as it backed away from the pair, its eyes rolling around as it looked for another target to acquire and that it did as someone familiar to Kagome walked by on his way to her home.

"Hojo! Run!" the male looked up, his eyes meeting the creature that aimed to digest another source of energy for it's bulky form. He turned to run and with the mask's attention elsewhere Inuyasha pulled his sword and aimed where Kagome had pointed out the jewel earlier. With a swing of his giant fang, the mask split horizontal, the shard falling to the ground as the mask itself seemed to burn, flame-less, into ash. Kagome sighed at the save and rushed over to grasp the shard, Inuyasha looking proud for a moment. His eyes gleamed knowing they had another shard, but he also noted that a male approached them, the male she had been calling out to.

"Hobo?" he questioned to himself. "What a strange name." When the other male smiled at Kagome and handed her something, his brow rose and his ears twitched to try and listen in. She just took the wrapped item and seemed kind of uncomfortable, the scent of it blowing toward him on the wind, as well as the emotional scent of the male, but he just blew it off. It wasn't his business and in regards to her and what she did on this side of the well, well he could care less. Turning and heading back to her house, he grabbed her arm and yanked her away from the other male. "Now it's time for us to go back," he stated as she sputtered angrily from being yanked around again. "You have already fulfilled your duties to this place."


	16. Chapter 16

Another few weeks had passed by and the pair found themselves the target of another youkai, tho this one appeared as a smog over a battlefield and that particular battlefield that was littered with skeletons left over. Their bodies were partially covered with armor, tho most of it was torn up. Gagging she was quite surprised that upon entering the area her Hanyou companion asked about food, just before the youkai showed up. This was just the beginning of their duo becoming a trio, tho Inuyasha wasn't particularly happy about the added member. Shippo was a fox demon, a kitsune and as such he liked to play tricks. His first meeting with them had Inuyasha's fur ruffled as the little demon particularly liked to pick on him, using all sorts of his tricks and toys to make the older male look stupid while he played on Kagome's heartstrings. Kagome loved the little male like he were her own kid, treating him with snacks and showering attention on him while giving the Hanyou a cold shoulder.

Upon learning his reasoning for stealing, well, attempted theft of the shards that Kagome had stored in her big yellow bag, she had implored him to join them since he was now an orphan and although he was hesitant at first he did end up joining them, giving them information as well on his father's killers. Both males that had killed his clan and his father had Shikon jewel shards in their head enabling them to strike against anyone that dared to come before them or into their path with little resistance.

"They are the Thunder Brothers," the kitsune stated, his pain still tinged his tone and Kagome felt the urge to hug the little guy close. She wasn't sure why she felt that way for the little demon, but she had felt a connection with all that she had come across. Every person brought forth a new feeling or connection with them and to this little guy she felt maternal instinct to protect him.

"And they have three shards?" Kagome inquired. "Did your father have a shard as well?" Shippo nodded at both statements.

"They kill anyone, but in particular they're after the shards." He looked thoughtfully at the ground, small tears falling down his cheeks. His red hair fell forward to cover the moisture.

"Well, they do have the shards and that means we have to take them back," Kagome muttered thoughtfully, but the small fox's chuckle brought her brown eyes back to him. His green orbs were filled with contempt at that that thought and she wondered why when Inuyasha spoke up, backing her plan on needing to get the shards back from the Thunder Brothers.

"Sorry, but humans aren't strong enough to beat them down," he said looking apologetic at her. "But to even think that a Hanyou would think he was strong enough to interfere in youkai fights is even more laughable." Kagome's eyes narrowed on the child. Sure, he was cute, but that was hateful and before Inuyasha could voice the obvious temper brewing in his eyes, his stance now tense with the emotions swirling at the insult.

"It doesn't matter what we are," she stated. "I could say that just because you are a full blooded demon your current form couldn't even make a dent in a human like me." He looked at her in surprise, his own anger rising at her comment. "Just because you can be hurtful doesn't mean you should." Even though she was upset with his statement she was just sure he had this childish ideal because of his own kind. She knew from her look into Inuyasha's past that Hanyous were looked down upon because of their mixed blood and that almost all demons seemed to share this dislike for what they considered the weaker race. He looked thoughtful about the words she had spoken.

"Okay, humans aren't all weak, but Han-" 'THUMP' Shippo was silenced with a squeal as Inuyasha knocked him in the skull. That was the beginning of a rather strange relationship between the two, but as the trio moved along the road, after a small scuffle between the new member and the pair that had been working together for a few weeks at that point, looking for more Shikon shards as they also kept their eyes out for the brothers that had murdered Shippo's father and clan. "Kagome, how is it that you ended up with this Hanyou anyway?" The raven haired girl looked at him as they continued walking down the road. "Most humans wouldn't even have given him a chance to get near them and yet you let him travel with you."

"Well, that's kinda a messed up tale," she stated, now giving the male in question a side eye. He was walking in front of them, looking aggravated at the fact that he had to walk slower. "I freed him from a tree and after destroying the jewel, on accident, I made a pact with myself that I would get all the shards and put it back together."

"And her, being to weak and all, needed this Hanyou to fight all the bad guys while she seems to get herself into trouble," Inuyasha stated, cutting in with a scoff at her story telling. "She can't fight and she has no real power to speak of," he continued, her eyes narrowing and her brows coming down. Shippo noted that even as she was starting to glower that the half demon had either taken no notice of it or didn't seem too worried about the human's fury. He, on the other hand had seen the wrath of his own mother when his father would piss her off and knew that this male was about to land himself in a hole. What he failed to realize, not knowing about the beads around the half demon's neck, was how right he was.

"Osuwari!" she hissed, the half demon hitting the ground with a resounding thud and while Shippo stopped to stare in awe and surprise the raven haired female continued on. "Stupid male," she muttered before inquiring, "You coming Shippo?" He nodded, tho it took a moment for him to take his eyes off the fallen Hanyou.

"Wow," he whispered as he finally turned from the scene and headed off to catch up with Kagome. Inuyasha grumbled as he tried to fight the beads hold on him. When they finally released him from their power he growled at the female in the distance. She was just mad because he was right, he was sure of that tho he didn't admit that even with her needing him for his strength he also needed her for her ability.  
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That evening found the pair setting up camp, Kagome pulling the ramen out of her bag as well as a small pot to boil the water needed to make the meal. Shippo looked at the cylinder container with curiosity. He had never seen this thing she had assured him was food and noting that the half demon up in a tree was looking down at them, well, at the meal with what could only be described as adoration he believed her. Soon the trio found themselves around the fire, all of them digging in, Shippo finding that the thing called ramen was quite yummy, but not as yummy as the snacks that she also had given him.

"What is this called?" he asked holding up the small pink box with some long sticks with what appeared to be mud on the ends of it. He was sure that it wasn't what it appeared.

"Pocky," she supplied. "It's a cookie dipped in chocolate or other flavors like strawberry." Still unsure, but knowing that the ramen had been good he opening it up and took the wrapper out, his eyes darting to her. She assisted him in opening the package before handing them back. He took a single one out and smelled it. At the interesting smell he took a tentative taste, his eyes growing wide at the sweet taste before going into a frenzy to inhale the snack. Kagome giggled, Inuyasha scoffed and jumped back into the tree next to the campsite. Rolling her eyes at the male's attitude she got her sleeping spot ready, her sleeping bag rolled out and the fire stoked to keep them warm on the cool night. Shippo found a spot to lay close to the fire and soon the pair were asleep as the half demon watched the forest around them, his eyes glowing in the moonlight from the crescent moon.

"Fuck," he muttered as he noticed the stage of the moon. Is it really about to be that time? He questioned to himself. He usually kept up with the phases of the moon, but with all the that had been going on he had forgotten to keep up with it. What was he going to do? He couldn't very well leave the girl with just a kid to watch her, but he couldn't be around them if the phase of the moon was new. Taking note that it was indeed a waning moon he decided that the next day he would find a town for them to stay nearby or in if possible, tho also taking into account that even just leaving Shippo with her he doubted that any village, except for Kaede's, would take in the pair. Then again since he hadn't been paying attention to the phases he could also have as much as three days til the new moon. Sighing he closed his eyes for a moment to formulate his plan of escape. He failed to notice the shadow that lurked just mere yards from the campsite. It's dark eyes narrowed in on the pair sleeping, it too had taken notice of where Inuyasha was. He could smell the scent of all of them, rather excited for the female scent it picked up. Looking up at where Inuyasha slept it knew it would have to wait if it wanted to get its prey.

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As the sun rose on the sleeping pair, the darkened skies growing lighter with each passing minute, the shadow that had been waiting hours before was gone. It had gotten an idea of what it was up against and what the female looked like. It was who he thought it was, tho something was different in her smell, her age questioning since it had been but a child at the time. It was sure that the news of her death had been true when the Shikon no Tama had disappeared.

With a stretch Kagome sat up, the cool morning breeze causing a shiver to pass thru her. She wanted to get comfy and warm again, but she knew they needed to continue on in their quest, but at Inuyasha's words she tilted her head a little at him.

"We should stop at the next village," he said, coming from out of the woods. She walked over to him, her head still cocked to the side, and looked him closely in the eyes. "W-What the fuck are you doing?" he asked, taking a small step back at her fervent gaze. When she went to reach out to touch his forehead his hand shot out and stopped her with a tight grip of her wrist. "What are you doing?!" His voice had raised with that last sentence.

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't have a fever or something," she stated, Shippo piping in after waking to Inuyasha's raised tone. He growled at the female's strange behavior while also wanting to punch the kitsune for his two cents. Instead he was distracted by the sounds of someone walking around in the forest, his ears changing direction as he assured himself that they were alone or if not how many entities were around them. When the sound didn't come he turned his attention back to the female before him, his hand having found its way to her mouth, while his other hand was still grasping her wrist. She said something, tho it was muffled by his hand. "Mmmph mmmph mmph mmmmph?" He released her, a light pink dusting his cheeks for a microsecond. "What was that about?"

"I heard someone in the forest," he stated. She looked confused. "I heard someone in the forest, sneaking around," he clarified. Now she understood because in this day and age it wasn't unheard of for someone to be forging in the woods, but for them to be sneaking that meant that they were either hunting or stalking something. Inuyasha believed it to be them judging by his words. "They stopped tho before I could confirm where they were." What he didn't want to tell them was that he was unsure of if he had heard it or if it was just an animal. "Lets get a move on while it's still morning." Finding the statement weird, but choosing to just ignore it she nodded and the trio was off while in the forest a shadow breathed out, its eyes following the group. It waited for them to get further down the rode, knowing it could scent them out, before it followed behind. A few hours later they saw that not far in the distance there was a village, the size of it a little bigger than Kaede's own village. Inuyasha just needed to see if it was going to be a new moon that night or not. He was sure that someone here could tell them how far the next village was so he could decide if they needed to stop or not. "Wench, when we get to the village we need to find out when th-" He stopped, his steps faltering for a moment. I can't ask her to do that! She'll want to know and then she won't stop asking when I refuse to tell her my reasoning. "When they last saw a demon with strength that was abnormal or something."

She watched him, making him a little nervous but she just said, "Its strange that you would want to help humans." He almost fainted at her line of thought. Shippo asked why she had said that as he didn't know Inuyasha all that well. Not that he knew her any better, but he also found it strange that a Hanyou would want to help humans, period. He frowned at her.

"Not to help humans, stupid, but to see if a demon possessing a jewel shard was in the area." She still didn't look like she believed him, her mouth opening a little as if to speak when the sound of screaming filled the air. Turning to see which direction it had come from they found that the village they had been approaching was now smoking, the terrified sounds of women, children, and men getting louder. Were they getting closer? Kagome didn't even hesitate as she took off running, Shippo close behind her. Grunting at the stupidity of the pair he ran after them, grabbing them both and throwing them onto his back he sped up. This time he heard no complaint from Kagome as she clung tight to him. As they grew closer they could see what was causing the people to flee and what they found was quite terrifying to kitsune and the human while Inuyasha scowled in frustration. Before them was chaos, the people of the town divided as some fled while others seemed to be the ones doing the damage. There was a person running around setting huts on fire while another brandished a knife, blood dripping off the blade from his victims. Another human shoved a young woman to the ground, tearing at her clothing in his obvious attempt to rape the poor lady.

Kagome shook off her terror, the acts in front of her something that happened in her time, tho not like this! She ran to aid the woman in the clutches of the male, Inuyasha blinking but also going to aid the people. He started off with the human and the blade, throwing the male back as Shippo stood on the road watching them. He didn't know if he could help with anything. After all he was just a kid with toys to aid him. Kagome kicked the male from behind, her foot finding purchase on the male's most sensitive part. As he crumpled to the ground in agony she helped the woman up and sent her away, her eyes falling on the male whining at his punishment. Feeling like he would be grounded for the moment she went after the male lighting fires when Shippo called out to her, "Kagome, they're possessed!" She didn't hear him as she tackled the male to the ground, the torch that he had been using tossed to the grass and going out. That didn't affect the male under her as he began to fight, his curses filling the girl's ears. As she struggled against him, Inuyasha had heard the kitsune and turned his attention to him. The man that he had been taking down still stuck in his grip, the Hanyou's hand holding the collar of the knocked out male.

"What are you talking about?" The fox pointed off in the distance where on a hill overlooking the land sat a horned male. His dark hair seemed to flow down his back, his clothing seeming to be that of a skinned human. Without a second thought he was off to talk with the demon. Shippo ran after him, Kagome forgotten for a moment until the strangled cry of the female drew the kitsune's attention. He turned to see her being tossed to the side, the male grabbing the dropped torch and heading back to finish his job since he couldn't continue finish his task of setting huts on fire without the fire! He could hear Kagome curse as she pushed herself back to her feet. She reached behind her and grasped at the arrows in her quiver before she remembered that she didn't have a bow! With a gulp the kitsune took a gulp before taking off to assist the girl. Inuyasha paid them no heed as Shippo jumped on the male, quickly doing as he had to Inuyasha when they had first met. The small statue fell from his fingers and onto the male's head, knocking him to the ground and unconscious. With a sigh of relief Kagome thanked him and inquired as to where their other companion had gone.

"He went after the demon that has possessed these humans!" he cried while pointing off into the direction where Kagome could now see the silver haired male bounding off after another demon, tho she could only see his back. His cape looked back at her with empty eye sockets, the flesh flapping in the wind created from his movements.

"Let's go!" And with that they were off, tho not as fast as the half demon. "I hope he catches it!" Little did she know that while they were chasing after the duo another creature was following closely, staying away from the chaotic village. Luckily for them the ones that had been creating the destruction were now passed out, while others were confused as to what they were doing in a burning village.


	17. Chapter 17

Rushing through the trees, following the duo of demons, Kagome found that she was alone now. Shippo, being a demon, was significantly faster than her and she was getting winded. I got to keep going! She urged her tired muscles on, the burning in her lungs growing stronger with every step. Inuyasha, get that stupid demon. Meanwhile up ahead the Hanyou had gotten the demon, his claws striking out and hitting air as it flew back away from him. The area that they had stopped was a clearing that seemed empty of foliage, not even grass seemed to grow here. He hissed at Inuyasha, cursing him for his chase and for the interference to the chaotic village.

"Fuck off," the Hanyou growled. "I don't care about those humans! I just wanted to know if a Shikon jewel shard was involved!" The demon laughed, his eyes twinkling in mischief. "What's so funny?" This caused more laughter, growing louder as the pair stared at the other.

"Ah, you are just a half demon," he said. "What would you need the jewel for?" Then he laughed again. "I know. You want to rid yourself of your human half!" With a snap of his fingers he chanted something low under his breath, the Hanyou in front of him eyeing warily. He wasn't going to give him a chance to do whatever the hell he was doing. Lunging at him again he found himself slamming to a stop midair just as Shippo came to the edge of the clearing. He looked at the Hanyou in confusion, wondering why the male was just standing there, the demon smirking at Inuyasha. He had yet to notice the kitsune, his eyes flashing just before an aura of red flowed around him before it jumped onto Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha?" the kitsune called out hesitantly. Why wasn't the other male attacking the demon? He got his answer as a growl slipped from the Hanyou's lips, his face turning sharply to look at the fox demon. Shippo took a step back, his green eyes growing wide in surprise before fear slid up his spine. Inuyasha's eyes were red, the turquoise orbs looking back at him seeming almost dazed. It was as if he were gone and some other demon stood before him, and when he took a tentative sniff of the scent coming from the silver haired male he was even more surprised to find that the Hanyou no longer smelled as he should. He smelled like a full blooded demon. He took a step toward the child just as the sound of another person running hit both their ears, but Inuyasha was watching him. He took another step closer, his eyes narrowing in suspicion of the kitsune before him and reaching down to grasp the hilt of his sword as it pulsed. He struggled to reach the hilt tho, something in him fighting to keep his demonic form. Maybe it was his desire to become one that pushed his hand away from the hilt, but he seemed to want to grasp it, to stop the pulsing or maybe to answer its call. Either way when Kagome's voice called his name, his hand finally grasped its target and he began to feel the power of his blade calming him. It was strange, it called to him and attempted to calm his Youkai. Just as Kagome came into view from among the trees Inuyasha's golden eyes turned back to the demon, the red of his eyes filtering out like a fog that cleared from his gaze and from his mind.

"What the hell did you just do to me?" He couldn't remember what had happened, he just knew that the blood-lust he had felt was un-nerving. Sure, demons could be blood thirsty for the taste of human flesh, as evident by the demon before him, but he had never felt that urge. He had wanted to avoid the masses of human and demon alike. Humans were unkind but demons would rid the world of all half demons as they were taboo to the race. When the demon looked rather confused as to his return to his senses he figured that this was the first time that this particular demon had had any problems possessing someone, tho what he did to them once they were possessed was a whole other question. Thinking about this he turned to bark at the woman moving closer. "Kagome, get back!" She stopped her approach, a brow raised in question of his command. She almost moved forward, disregarding his command when she could see his stance. It was tense, his energy coming off in waves as the stare down between the older males continued. She tried to move silently to the side to get a better look at the demon he was facing off. Why wasn't he doing anything? When she finally got a good look at the demon she found that she remembered a tale from her grandfather about this demon.

"Inuyasha, that's an Amanojaku!" At the lack of reaction she continued, sure that he was listening and the only reason he refused to look to her was because of what that particular demon could do. Shippo looked to her though, asking without words what the demon's power was. "They are demons that use one's own darkness in their heart against them! They feed off that resulting death and chaos!" The demon chuckled at her, almost seeming pleased with the acknowledgement of his power.

"Ah, you are correct, human," he stated. "I am an Amanojaku and a strong one at that. My name is Dai, tho you will have no reason to know that. I have lived for many thousands of years feeding off the darkness in both human and demon, relishing in the blood that is spilled for my amusement as well as the destruction that is wrought because of me." His eyes flashed as they had before, his aura glowing brightly around him.

"I told you to get back, bitch," Inuyasha hissed, pulling his sword from its sheath, the blade glowing white as it was revealed. The fang shimmered in the lowering sun, the demon looking at it without any show of fear. "Shippo, you too!" Kagome wasn't going anywhere, she refused to leave his side and Shippo shook his head. He growled at them, as if he were over them, but it wasn't the only reason he was acting like this. Knowing that he could force the darkness of the heart of any being made him wary of himself falling under the power again. "Stop fucking playing around and get the hell back!" In the shadows, the stalker that had been following them stopped to watch the fight. He needed to know more about his enemy and he had not been aware of this fang that Inuyasha was now holding out before him. He hadn't been witness to Inuyasha going full demon and the pulsing weapon in his hands, but he could see the weapon itself and he was worried as to what could happen if the half demon were to swing that on him. Kagome backed away now, tho her brown eyes still looked the demon before her up and then down before her eyes found what she was looking for.

"He has a shard! It's in his right wrist!" Again the male growled at her before he went at the demon in front of him. His blade swung low and fast, but Dai was able to move, tho he still managed to get his cape's bottom half sliced off. Inuyasha swung again, Dai again managing to slide under the blade with only a few dark strands of hair being sliced off. He pushed off the forest floor and flew backward towards the trees. He glanced down at his cape, a frown twisting his features.

"Aw, now why did you have to go and ruin my latest cape?" he practically whined in a low voice. "My last one was so worn out, none of them lasting as long as my first one," he said on a sigh now, falling back again as the blade passed closer this time. Inuyasha was quick to strike out again, this time slicing the left hand clean off.

"I don't particularly care about your outfit malfunction!" the half breed hissed as he went on the attack again. As he continued is attack the shadow that was still stalking them moved closer, feeling the urge to complete the first phase of his plan. He couldn't do it right now, tho is looked like a great opportunity he knew it wouldn't go smoothly with the possibility of him failing permanently. Suppressing his urge to snatch the girl he stepped back, noticing that the fox demon failed to detect him. He figured the ears weren't as powerful as the dog demons, but he could have sworn that he would have at least scented him out. Taking a sniff of the air he could smell the fear radiating from the demon child while the female's was more anxious. Was she worried for the dog demon? Or was she just itching to get into the fight? She hadn't seemed to heed the warning from the older male, even after what she had revealed about the full demon that he was fighting. A scream was ripped out of Dai, the demon falling to his knees as his neck gushed a bloody mess all over the grounds before he fell forward with a squishy 'thud'. The shadow stayed still, watching the dog demon as he pulled the right arm up for the human female to examine.

Pointing it out to Inuyasha he sliced the skin, more blood slipping out and revealing the shard, darkened from the evil that was in the Amanojaku. As soon as she touched it, the darkness was gone. The jewel shard glowed brightly in her hand before she pulled the necklace out from under her shirt that contained the other shards. Depositing it into the glass jar she corked it and turned to Inuyasha. "Well, it's still early in the day and I doubt we will get any answers from those villagers." He nodded and looked back to the village where it had quieted down now, save for the soft wails of the now demon free villagers. After such an experience even Kagome knew they wouldn't allow them to stay there or even be willing to do anything except to kill them. "I do need to grab the bag. I left it on the other side of the town."

"I'll grab it," he stated. "Stay here and out of trouble." At his statement her brows went down. He was already heading off down the hill before she could even retaliate.

God dammit...He always has to make a snarky remark or command. I am not his underling! If anything we are equal with him being the muscle and me the one finding the damn shards. She sat down, Shippo sitting by her, his green eyes watching around them. He had the feeling that something was out there, and it was watching them like Inuyasha had said earlier. Tho his hearing wasn't was great as the half demons the fox demon could kinda sense an energy and he voiced his concerns to Kagome. "You think someone is watching us?" He nodded, putting his finger to his lips so whoever was out there would get the wrong idea and think that they didn't know of their stalker. Kagome looked around her too, her brown orbs not able to see anything in the forest that surrounded them, her eye sight just that of a human. Inuyasha and Shippo both had the ability to see sharper because of their demon power. She sighed. "It would be awesome to be able to see better in the darkness, hell, to even be able to keep up with you two would be nice." Shippo gave her a questioning look.

"If you don't like the fact that you can't keep up, why not just let Inuyasha carry you. He hates that you can't keep up," the child supplied in the way most children did...Truthfully and naively. Kagome looked down, her eyes downcast as she considered what the child fox had said. Sure, he was correct, but she felt that the act of getting on his back was too intimate. Inuyasha and her weren't friends or lovers, in fact they were merely companions on the road to find the shards. She couldn't come to rely on him for transportation because that would be unkind. She would be using him instead of using her own energy.

"No, I can't do that," she simply stated. It was at that point that a shadow flew over them, and Kagome thinking it was Inuyasha with her bag looked up to great him only to find herself face to face with a rather ugly looking demon. Before she could do anything, Shippo scrambled behind her in fear, his small form shaking as he pointed up at the male.

"H-He's one of the T-T-Thunder brothers!" Kagome's face went pale as she took a trembling step back. The male before her looked her up in down, his eyes taking in her strange clothing. She almost felt as if he were eyeing her like a snack or perhaps he was eyeing her as if he were looking under her jean overall shorts and her tank top. Was he confused about her attire? Maybe he would think her a witch or something and would leave her alone, but then he noticed Shippo and he took on a more entertained façade.

"Ah, so it is the little brat from before, and look you have not only brought me a little snack, but something fun to play with," he said, his tone growing lecherous. Her eyes narrowed even as her body softly shook. She dared not to take her eyes from the male before her for fear that he would strike. "I am indeed one of the infamous Thunder Brothers!" he boasted proudly. "I am Manten, the younger brother!" She noted that there were two shards in his forehead, just below three single strands of hair rested. Before Manten could elaborate on his identity or whatever was to come from that warped mouth Inuyasha landed, the yellow bag that she carried falling behind him with a 'thud' as he turned his now unsheathed blade on him. "And, who are you?" He took a sniff of the air and began to laugh. "Ah, you are nothing to me, Hanyou." The Hanyou in question growled at the insult as he leveled male before him with a single smack on the head.

"Same goes to you, weakling Youkai," he spat. As Manten hit the ground from the force of the blow, one of his hairs fell out and upon realizing this the larger male flew into a rage of misery and anger to the confusion of the trio before him.

"You mother fucking half demon scum!" he howled as he opened him mouth to spout out a blaze of fire, catching Inuyasha and the group off guard. He was blown back, his fire-rat robe taking the brute of the blast while Kagome was knocked back under him. Shippo was aware of the attack and seeing the other demon fly into a rage he was able to throw up his fox fire in an attempt to protect the human female in front of him. As the smoke cleared the trio found Manten closing in on them, his eyes full of tears. "I shall kill you, half demon and when you lay on the ground bleeding from the insult you have done to me I will kill the fox child and add his body to his father's pelt!" Shippo felt all the color drain from his face, the chill he felt upon seeing his father's pelt wrapped around the wide demon. Inuyasha grasped his sword and with a jump was on the other demon, his own power seeming more than that of Manten's own. Kagome used that chance to grab Shippo and her bag before heading away from the fight. While the pair fought in the distance Kagome grasped her quiver, threw it on her back and after readying her bow aimed for the shards that were on the demon's head. It was tough with the way they pair were moving, but she would give it a try.

"What insult did I give you?!" Inuyasha growled. "You were fucking with my group!" The other male stopped, his anger boiling at the confusion of the half demon.

"My lovely hair!" he whined. "You have taken more of my lovely hair!" Inuyasha stopped, sweat dripping down his face at the absolute strange thoughts of the male before him. He was about to make another move to attack the silver haired male, but stopped short as Kagome's arrow struck his face, the head of it missing the shard by mere inches as it bounced off and hit the ground. For a moment it seemed that he was stunned into submission by the strike of the arrow, but no, he was stunned into silence by the fact that the last two hairs on his head dropped off.

Shit! Kagome thought as she watched his beady eyes dilated further, his fingers grasping his now completely bald head. The shadow watched the group and feeling that should this demon beat the half demon he would lose his opportunity to get to the human female. He needed her alive for his plan to work and should he fail his master would have his head. He wasn't strong enough to deal with the Thunder Brothers! He had seen their transgressions against the countryside and he wasn't planning on losing his life to these brothers anymore than he would against Inuyasha. He was smart and knew when to wait for his chance and when to thwart others interfering with his mission. Creeping closer, he watched for his chance, but it seemed that he would not need it as Inuyasha took the moment open to him and came down on his head, slicing into his flesh. His blade split the demon's head, a cry of pain falling from the dying demon's lips as well as a curse.

"My brother will kill you allllll!" were the last words to escape as blood gurgled out, his skull falling apart and releasing the Tessaiga. Kagome rushed over to collect the shards while Shippo seemed to freeze, the fear still on his face until he noticed that Kagome was also removing the pelt of his father from around the deceased demon's waist. He broke free from his fear and rushed to gather his father's pelt.


	18. Chapter 18

They took off, Inuyasha once against pushing for them to find another village. He was so pushy about it that Kagome had begun to question his need for the village. He wasn't one to need a place full of humans as he didn't sleep in a hut, nor did he use the hot springs and he most certainly didn't need human interaction. Even when they were back at Kaede's village he had not slept indoors or talk to the villagers. He stayed in his favorite tree in his forest, not even bothering to talk to her when he didn't have to. She sighed as they continued on the road toward a close village. The further they got seemed to make Inuyasha more antsy or maybe it was the fact that is was late afternoon, the sun now dropping low in the skies.

"So, Inuyasha," she said, speeding up to ride next to him. "Why do we need to get to a village again?" He ignored her. "I mean it's not like we don't camp out on a regular basis." Again he gave her nothing. He didn't stop, he didn't speak, hell, he didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence much less her questions. Getting a little annoyed at his silent treatment she braked, stopping in the middle of the road and waited. At first she was sure he hadn't noticed, but just as she was about to say something he stopped, but still didn't look at her.

"Stop asking stupid questions," he growled. "Do I even have to answer to you?" A pause as his head turned slightly toward her. Shippo looked at Kagome, the aura of anger starting to heat the space around her small form. He knew this was going to blow up and he wasn't sure what to do to avoid getting caught in the middle. "You're not my mother and you sure as fuck aren't my mate so what makes you, no, what delusional mindset do you have that would make you believe that you can demand answers from me." He turned away again and began to walk more briskly. He didn't even wait for her and that was her breaking point. Putting her feet on the pedals she was off again, at a more brisk pace as well, but instead of bugging him again she biked past him, one word vocalized.

"Osuwari." That was it and then the Hanyou found himself again in the dirt, tasting the Earth in a way that had become a regular habit when he snarled at her. He was almost up when her voice echoed from further down the road, the tone having become pissy as she had more time to stew on his words and actions. "OSUWARI!" He was thrust back down again, this time kissing the ground with more force. Shippo shook his head at the older male's lack of tact.

When will he ever learn how to talk to a female? Again he was brought back to the way his parents had argued and when that happened he always took his mother's side as he was the definition of a mama's boy. He loved his father, but even at a young age he had learned who wore the pants in his family and that was his lesson about the opposite gender.

"What the fuck is his problem anyway?" Kagome grumbled as she sped up. She knew she couldn't outrun him but she was going to make sure it would take him a minute to catch up to them. "I have a right to know why he is acting this way, don't I?" Do I though? I mean he's right about one thing...I'm nothing to him. I am a companion on a road trip to correct my mistake and he is just here to get the jewel himself. Not that she would let him. "Whatever." The little fox demon just laid down on his father's pelt, the basket shaking softly with every little bump on the dirt road. Strangely enough he found it was soothing in a way and soon found himself drifting off.

It didn't take long for Inuyasha to catch up with them, but being his rather snarky self he just passed them, his eyes looking up for a moment at the skies as he sped forward. She didn't care, well, at least that was how it appeared as she turned her head away from him when he passed.  
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On the other side of Japan an older woman stood at the entrance of a cave, her eyes narrowing at the raven haired woman that sat there with her back to her. She had failed in her attempt to bring back the woman hiding out. She had thought that all the rumors of her death had meant that her soul was still free for her to take, tho it seemed that she was wrong in that assumption. She wouldn't have wanted to come back. She had been sure of that for she had been there when the female had died, holding the very item that she, herself, had coveted for her own needs. I will have to destroy her and yet, I can not bring myself to do something against her. Perhaps it was the fact that the creature could still move, still dead in her eyes, she still seemed to be reacting to something off in the distance. Maybe it is because of the shard that I baked into her body? Could that be the reason that her creation could still move, tho without purpose she was nothing more than a shell. She needed her soul. Looking back to the forest beyond her home. Hopefully, I will have my answer soon and then the decision of her life will made.  
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The trio finally found a village, and just before the sun could set. Inuyasha seemed relieved and to her surprise he abandoned her at the edge of the hamlet without so much as a goodbye. Still rather pissed off at the Hanyou's behavior she ignored his departure and headed further into the village, unaware that the shadow was now perched close, the form moving on the edge of the village. As she continued to walk past huts, her bike now just being pulled with her as Shippo looked around the area in question, she noted that there was a large castle-like structure further on and wondered as to why it was so beautiful while the homes she traveled past were so downtrodden and run down. She did recall that in history class there were tales of Lords that taxed their people to the point that they could not even live off their lands while the Lord ate large, unneeded meals that usually went to waste. Was this the home of such a man? As she drew closer she noticed a monk, a young one at that, was standing before the gate of the large home. Discarding her bike close by, asking the kitsune if he wouldn't mind waiting with it, she headed closer. He was conversing with the guards, neither of which seemed happy to see the monk. Strange... She contemplated on whether to move on or to be her rather curious self and find out why a Lord wouldn't allow a monk to enter their home.

"Listen, Houshi," a rather older male said, coming from beyond gated entrance. "If you fail in removing the evil that plagues our master's home then you will find yourself without even a grain of rice for your troubles." Nodding the Monk was allowed to pass, Kagome now moving closer to see what evil she could feel from the just the outside of the house. She noted that there was indeed something haunting the home, but she was also certain that it had in its possession a shard, she could feel the aura of the tainted item coming from the home. She was uncertain as to what she could do, standing there in deep thought when one of the guards noticed her lurking.

"What are you doing here, girl?" he inquired, moving closer. "Do you need something from that monk? Do you know of him?" She shook her head.

"No, I was just curious as to what you would need with a monk," she said, spinning a small lie since she had really been more curious about the home itself and the fact that they had an infestation of something that was using the shard to further its own needs. "I can sense that you do have a youkai lurking, tho he doesn't seem all that strong." This caused the guard to raise a brow at her words.

"Ah, so you are a demon then? Or are you as human as you look?" He looked her up and down, noting the strange clothing that she wore. She still was clothed in her jean overalls, tho she was rather dirty from her travels, she was sure he was unsure about her because of her attire. "Well, no matter what you are we have a monk that has claimed that he can dispel the evil from our master's home tho no other has been able to clear the home." Before she could move away from the gate several members of the home came out, including the master of the house. He looked rather upset at being outside, leaving only the monk in his home. Immediately after the last of the staff had left the home a loud sound pierced the air, the sound of a fight in the home shaking the grounds. Many of his staff seemed worried, inquiring as to what they should do. They wanted to enter the home again, tho the sounds belayed that they should wait. Their master also stated that he had been told not to go in until their savior had said as much.

Hmmm...It seems as if i isn't where it was before. In fact it almost seems.. She moved away from the gate and crept off toward the back of the home, her brown eyes taking it all in as she looked for where the shard was moving. Was the youkai moving out of the house? She could take it down, she was sure if she needed to, but alas it wasn't the demon that was moving toward her. It was the monk, and he wasn't just chasing the youkai out, he was packing a rather small wagon full of items from the home. Raising her brow at his dubious behavior she wondered if there ever was any threat. Moving closer she failed to notice that her stalker was still creeping around, keeping its eyes trained on her. Her foot landed on a twig, the sound drawing the attention of the male attempting his robbery of the home he had just "helped".

"Who is there?" he asked before seeing her standing there, looking at him with open confusion and a bit of disgust. "Who are you?" She shook her head, as if to tell him that she wouldn't disclose that information. She is a beautiful one, tho garbed rather strangely. He gave a mental head shake. As much as he wanted to do his normal routine with the female before him he knew that he didn't have much time to spare before the people of the home came in to investigate the silence that permeated the home. "Never mind, I have things to do and places to go." Hoping on the settee of the wagon he got ready to head out, the rein in hand.

"You mean people to swindle and places to hide in?" At her tone, and the fact that she was turning to look in the direction of where two guards still guarded the entrance to the home. "Maybe I should scream and have them come to find you trying to make off with your haul?" Her question made him tense up, the thought of getting caught not a great future. Not that his future was that far off. Sighing, he took just seconds to make his decision and snapping the reins he bore down on her, his right arm yanking her up next to him by the still rather tender arm. Before she could yelp he warned her in a low tone.

"I wouldn't do anything. Even if I would hate to hurt a beautiful girl as you, I could with just a flick of my wrist. I could just swallow you into the eternal hole that is in my right hand." She bit the yelp that wanted to escape her mouth and nodded. She was in a rather tricky situation as she couldn't chance that he was telling the truth and dying or whatever happened if one got stuck in an eternal hole...  
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Shippo looked around anxiously. Kagome had been gone for a long time...He had just watched as she talked to the male guard, getting more information he was sure of about any strange things happening. Still feeling a little worn out, he felt his body grow heavy. Little did he know that it wasn't his fatigue getting to him, it was something that was scenting the air with its fragrance. Smirking at the ease it had put the kitsune out with it moved back into the darkness, no one having knowingly seen it. It was as if it were invisible to the eyes of humans with just its appearance. Rushing off to its prey it failed to notice that there were another pair of eyes watching it. A male youkai? He smells of graveyard dirt... The tarnished gold eyes watching the figure run off. What is he doing? Jumping off the branch, the male followed the shadow, only getting sidetracked by the lavender smell that seemed to fog the air. Ah, shit. He hit his knees with several other villagers. He wasn't going down this easy! Using what little energy he had in this form he shoved himself back while holding his breath in. Bursting out of the pocket of sleep inducing toxins he hit the ground and rolled back into a tree. Taking a moment to take in the cleaner air he pondered as to what he could do in this form to keep up with another demon. Why am I following him tho? He smelt weird? Was that why?

That was when he realized that he couldn't see where Kagome was. Sure, she might have done what they always did at a village or she might be stupid enough to fight a demon with a shard...Was she that stupid? "Yes, yes she is. God dammit!" He couldn't help her if she had gone and done something stupid, but looking around he found that besides the scent in the air there was nothing else he could do but try to use his brain this time and track her. Usually he had his heightened sense of smell, but in this form it was non existent. Groaning in frustration he took off after the shadow again, but as soon as he turned the corner his attention was drawn to Kagome being swept up into the arms of monk, a look of fear crossing her features. "Kagome!" he yelled. She turned toward him, her eyes wide as saucers. Her confusion was evident as she didn't recognize the male calling her name. The only thing that made his name cross her mind was his voice. She would recognize that voice all to well.

"I-Inuyasha!" The male holding her tossed her across his lap, his hand that held the reins pushing down on her as he did as he had threatened. With a flick of his wrist the beads that had crossed over his hand and arm the cloth fell away from his palm...

"Wind tunnel!" The answer to her inner question of his threat being legit pulling at Inuyasha's hair and clothing toward it. Intending to keep himself anchored he forgot that he had no claws in this dark haired form. Doing the next thing that came to mind he used his sword, even tho it was rusty, to anchor himself to the ground. The monk smirked and whipping the rein again continued to make his escape as Inuyasha attempted to not get stuck in the winds produced by the right palm. "Don't follow or I shall have to use this on her!" When he felt that he was at a safe distance the monk covered the palm again and turned to her. "I believe I was speaking the truth. Now sit still and when we have gotten far enough away I will deposit you on the ground and be on my way." 'Clink' Lifting her up a little he noted that around her neck was a small bottle with several shards of the jewel. Smiling at his luck he failed to notice that she had tensed, a look of repulsion on her face.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" she shrieked, her hand coming with a resounding smack against his face as his hand on her ass stilled. He pushed her back down, the slap having no effect on his awareness. "You are so dead when you let me go," she grumbled, her lips pressed into the seat of the wagon. He believed her, but at the same time he was not too afraid of a little stick of a girl.

"How about you just," with a yank he freed the jar from her neck, "leave now then!" Tossing her off the carriage he sped off, now in his possession the jar of shards and all of his stolen goods. Life is soooo good. Now to go and sell these things.

Kagome stood up stiffly, her body still reminding her that she wasn't super woman by any standard and she should stop punishing herself with her attempts to try and be otherwise. Dusting herself off she set off after the male, but only took a few steps when Inuyasha grasped her arm. "Leave him be," the male stated. "We can't mess with that male. His attack is too deadly for me to deal with in this state." She opened her mouth, still shocked at his transformation, but also debating how to tell him that the monk had the shards. "Come on." She stood her ground, his stride pausing at her resistance. "Come on, wench."

"He got my shards," she whispered, head going down. "Sorry." There was no response, the silence almost deafening save for the crickets that chirped around them. She looked up and found him looking nonchalant, almost anyway. Save for the vein that was throbbing at his temple he looked rather calm. She was sure he would burst and she was defiantly in the splash zone.

Instead of blowing up at her he took a deep breath and stated, "Well, there is nothing we can do tonight, so lets go get Shippo and find a place to camp close by." He turned, releasing her, and headed back to where he had left the kitsune. She was surprised. Not just at his failure behave as she had come to know in the short time. He was mad this time and she was sure it would have been a fight that would have ended with him in the ground, but he had held it in check, choosing to be rational. Blinking she followed after him, the stalker still following close, tho he had been torn between getting the shards that the girl had had on her and fulfilling his main mission. His master would be upset if he failed in either, but the girl was first on the list and more urgent a matter.


	19. Chapter 19

Finding a small place just outside of the town, his urgency to get a place in town forgotten as his secret was out and there was little reason for him to leave her alone with just the kitsune to protect her. She was still eyeing him suspiciously from her spot next to the fire. She was undeniably confused as to the change in his appearance, but he wasn't going to give her any information. Just because she had seen his change didn't mean she needed to know why or when it happened.

"I suppose you're wondering as to why the master has changed in such a way?" came the voice of one very irritating creature as it landed on Kagome's shoulder. She seemed surprised, but managed not to smack him in her surprise. At her soft nod he continued, his master giving him the look that was meant to shut him up, but he paid no mind. "As he is a half demon there comes a night when he becomes as you see him now."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha hissed, moving in a menacing manner toward his underling. "You don't have the right to give my life's story out to random people!" At this statement, the "random" person he was giving the information to growled low, but instead of snapping at him she looked down at Myoga.

"Ah, he is sooooo right," she said, false sweetness lacing her tone. "I'm just some random person that has no need to know what her traveling companion turns into. I mean, it's not like it affects me in any way." Flopping onto her back before pulling the sleeping bag over her, she turned to Shippo. "Good night, Shippo." Closing her eyes she turned over, not just to ignore the male that had managed to hurt her again with his words. Sure, she was mad, but she was more hurt. Knowing that he was human and unable to smell her tears she let a few out, holding her body still as she tried to calm down. I mean, really, it's not like we are friends or anything, but I'm certainly not a stranger. Snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag she sighed. Shippo moved closer to her, his father's pelt sliding behind him like a blanket. Making himself a spot closer to her, he shot Inuyasha a hateful look before getting comfy and closing his eyes to wait for sleep.

"You need to work on your manners," came Myoga's advice as he joined his master. Inuyasha leaned back against the tree and groaned at his underling. "I mean, she is just a girl and yet you keep talking to her in such a manner."

"Shut the hell up," he hissed. He hated this time of the month. He had no senses, his claws were gone, and he was just...weak. He hated feeling that way. So he had upset her! Better that she learn now that he wasn't a friend and he wasn't tagging along because he liked her company! He was done with humans and human females were even worse! Snorting at the thought that he had once allowed a female close to him and how it had backfired on him, he found his eyes closing and soon he was asleep. That was another thing that bothered him about being human. As a half demon he didn't require much sleep, allowing him to keep vigilance on his surroundings. As a human he couldn't even do that. As the final member of the group finally passed out, the shadow moved closer from his hiding place in the trees. Something handing from his clawed fingers glistened in the firelight as he grew closer, the small container a golden hue. It was adorned with small symbols that circled the entire thing, save for where small holes opened up on the upper half of the item. When he felt it was close enough to his target he set it down, and with a snap of his fingers a soft billow of smoke filtered out thru the item's holes.

The smoke slid out of it and along the forest floor, the scent undetectable among the other scents of the night, the crickets still singing their songs around him. He slid closer to her, making sure that the smoke was drifting as he had directed it to. It flowed past the kitsune, his nose not even twitching as it made its way to the girl in the sleeping bag. As it hit her face, she groaned and turned over. The smoke followed, its cloud now moving over her body. As soon as it had covered her in its shadowy form it began to glow a soft blue, the color growing almost white before switching to the more vibrant color of red. Good. It has revealed the soul that resides inside this form. It was a good and a bad thing. As the girl and her group would find out before long. It's just my luck that she is already headed toward her unfortunate end. Smirking, he pulled back, the large cloud of smoke over Kagome dissipating as the item it was billowing from was removed from the area. Now that his task was done, he needed to find that monk that had taken her shards. Not that he was planning on giving them back to her, but his master would be mad if he didn't return with those precious objects. As he disappeared into the darkness completely Kagome shivered in her bag, her body feeling a chill starting in her feet. It was as if her blood were stopping its mandatory circulation and as a tingle began in her toes as well she found that she couldn't move.

Her eyes weren't opening upon her command and all she could see was Inuyasha in front of her. Her eyes flickering against her eyelids. She knew it was a dream because he was in his normal form, his silver hair blowing to the side as the winds chilled her. The cold feeling was moving up her body, the tingling following the same path. They were in a boat, his muscular arms were rowing, the boat sliding almost fluidly thru the small river. She could feel something in her heart, the thudding of it almost deafening. Where am I? She didn't know this place and yet some part of her was filled with aching...and something else. Something that was rising with every minute that passed, the scenery changing to that of a field. There were no flowers before her so it must have just been a regular field, but before she could register the feelings that passed thru her, she felt a slash of pain on her right side followed by the warm of something leaking thru the white kosode... Wait! Am I Kikyo? Am I witnessing her death? She fell to her knees for a moment, her body collapsing in sync it seemed with the blood from her own body that splattered the ground below her like a painting. The jewel fell from her kosode and landed just beyond her reach, her fingers brushing the stone lightly before her hand was crushed under the bare foot of one Hanyou. Inuyasha? She looked up at him.

"You are a such a fool to think that I would ever desire to become a weak human," he stated, his tone cold, chilling her heart. She could feel the tingling in her heart, a pain starting from deep within as she looked into his golden orbs.

That's not him! That can't be Inuyasha! Kagome couldn't believe that even with the way the Hanyou could act sometimes that he would be that cold! Oh, but it is. Another voice echoed in her mind. It was a blend of voices, so masculine and creepy with a female undertone that seemed to be separate from the male. He killed me with no hesitation. No! No! That is not him! He loves you! He still reacts to your name in such a fashion that you can tell he misses you! Oh, foolish girl. He can pretend when it suits him. Did he not just tell you that you were not privy to his workings? He called you a random person and even before that he let you know where your place was!

Kagome struggled against the pain she was feeling, the heaviness of her heart seeming to weigh her chest down. She couldn't seem to grasp a breath, her hands moving in her sleep to grasp at her neck. That's not all that happened, came a male voice, the same one that had told Kikyo that that she was a fool for her belief in the Hanyou. After all, he couldn't just live after what he had done. No, my plan wasn't complete. That stupid woman had to do one thing and she was more concerned with the filthy half breed. She didn't follow my plan!

Your plan? Who are you? She got no verbal response from the voices. No, the answer she got was her again looking at Inuyasha as he flew down from the trees, the Shikon no Tama grasped in his fist. She was standing before a temple, a gate not unlike the one at home. In her fingers was a bow, taunt and ready to strike as she called out his name.

"Inuyasha!" All the pain in that voice was nothing compared to the pain and shock that was revealed on the Hanyou's face as she released the arrow. It flew almost in slow motion, striking his shoulder and forcing him back onto the God Tree. The jewel fell from his fingers, the sound of it the only sound as the winds rustled the tree. As the jewel rolled away, he stuttered out her name, broken as the arrow did its job. It sealed him to the tree, tho he appeared to have died. His breathing paused, his chest didn't rise and his eyes didn't move like they would if he were just asleep. Shaking, as the blood trail that had followed her puddled around her she made her way to the curse she had been given. The curse that had been her task and she had failed. It had cursed her life from the moment she had touched it, vowed to it that she would keep it pure. She could keep that promise. She would wish to never be reborn, that the jewel would follow her into the after life and never again would either of them see the world again.

"Kagome?" came a soft voice. Her mind was struggling to release itself from the nightmare it was living. "Something's wrong with her," came the voice again.

Shippo? Someone touched her head, and moved it over her face as if looking, searching for something.

"She's cold?" the other male voice questioned. "I thought the reason for the weird sleeping thing was to keep her warm."

Inuyasha? At the sound of his name, another feeling flowed thru her as light suddenly seemed to warm her lids. Her eyes flew open, but the chocolaty gaze was not the same, her scent changed in that moment, the mixture of both souls fighting as she set her eyes on the male in red before her. In a split second she was up, flying back as she looked around her for her weapon. Finding the bow and the quiver next to a bright yellow travelling bag or whatever the thing was she turned to him, the arrow pulled back taunt against the string of her bow. "You're free?" Her tone was cold as she looked him up and down in disbelief even tho just before waking up she had seen the girl's thoughts and memories of the Hanyou. "This girl was stupid to even attempt working with you, much less removing my sealing arrow." Her eyes narrowed, the brown of them dazed almost. "That can be rectified!" Releasing the arrow, her body fighting her attempts to hit the half demon, into the ground just a few inches from him. He was still looking at her in confusion, a look of recognition at her last words.

"K-Kikyo? How?" She smirked, the look of smugness on her face one he had never seen.

"I don't know and I don't care! I just want you dead and gone!" It was in that instant that her eyes changed back, the chocolaty color of them returning and with them Kagome spoke. "W-What happened?" She looked down at the bow in her hand and dropped it as if it had burned her. She looked to Shippo, who was looking at her in fear. "Shippo?" He said nothing, moving toward Inuyasha. The Hanyou was also looking a little suspiciously at her, his golden orbs filled with confusion and distrust. She hadn't seen that look in such a long time and she wished that it would go away. "What is happening to me?"

"You tell me, bitch," he hissed, now moving away from her. What the hell is going on? That was Kikyo's voice! "You just tried to kill me with your fucking sacred arrow!" She looked down at the bow on the ground now and noticed that not far from where Inuyasha was standing another arrow was stuck in the mud. "Your scent has even changed. You smell like her." She didn't need clarification to know who he was talking about. Tho it usually pissed her off more, just judging by the way Shippo was acting she knew it was true. He was looking at her as if he didn't know her, as if she hadn't helped to get his father's pelt from Manten.

"I don't remember anything past the moment I went to sleep," she whispered, her hand touching her head, moving thru her raven locks. Her head was beginning to throb again. "I just remember crawling into my sleeping bag and then..." she faded off as the memory of feeling cold and tingly came back. "I was cold and felt a slight tingle move up my body." Why couldn't she remember what she had dreamed about? Why couldn't she remember waking up and how had the bow come to rest in her hands? With every question she felt the pain in her head increase. "There was a voice." Inuyasha's ears twitched.

"A voice? A female voice?" She shook her head, trying to remember what it had said to her.

"No...yes...I can't remember!" Tears began to gather in her eyes, but before Inuyasha could take a step toward her her voice changed again. "She doesn't know that I am here," came Kikyo's voice again. "And as much as I am glad to be resurrected so that I can finish you she is fighting my use of her body." She reached down for the bow and securing the quiver better on her body she took a step back. "Before I can take my revenge I need to overpower her. She shall become my tool."

"Kagome?" Shippo questioned, knowing that she was unstable, took a step toward her. Inuyasha yanked him back as Kikyo took a shot at him, missing as she had Inuyasha. Was it because Kagome wouldn't allow it or was it because he had saved the kitsune? Growling at the brat before her she turned her attention back the half demon who had betrayed her.

"I shall purify you and all that share your blood, scum," she hissed, feeling Kagome trying hard to force her way back up to consciousness. Stop fighting me, stupid girl. I will have my revenge and you will not need to worry about him turning on you when he becomes what he truly desires...A full blooded demon! It was a soft response, a shiver down her spine. "I will not allow you to kill him or anyone else!" Why should you care? You don't know him! Hell, you don't even belong in this world! Shoving her back under Kikyo took off, rushing off into the forest. Behind her Inuyasha just watched her leave, the kitsune struggling to get free so he could go after his friend. Strangely enough that was when the monk from before appeared, his blue eyes narrowing at the space where the young female had gone.

He had come because of a spiritual disturbance, unaware that it had been the group before, well the girl from before. The two males before him didn't look familiar to him. The monk had been sure that the pretty little woman with them had been accompanied by a dark haired human male, not a silver haired half demon. It was taking too long for the pair to notice him so he approached. "You there! Are you companions to the raven haired woman?" The Hanyou glanced at him and it was that moment the monk felt he had seen those eyes before. It was on the human male, tho his had been a tarnish gold he was sure this was the same male. "Inuyasha? That is your name right?" It was a spark of recognition in the male's eyes that seemed to snap him back to reality.

"You," he hissed. "Give me back the shards!" The monk raised a brow at him before slamming his staff down upon his head. Turning his attention to the kitsune that now stood before him.

"Yeah, we are the companions to Kagome." Shippo introduced himself and Inuyasha, tho still looking at the monk in question. "How do you know her?" Chuckling nervously he didn't get a chance to answer as Inuyasha lunged at him, swiping out with his claws.

"I said, give me back the fucking shards you stole from her!" he yelled, as he tried to strike the male.

"Hear me out," the monk said as he dodged for a moment before thunking the half demon on the skull. "My name is Miroku and I just want to help the girl." Shippo looked at him, suspicion in his green eyes. He leveled his right hand on Inuyasha as the half demon attempted to stand. He paused, remembering what that particular hand could do. "Ah, so you remember my Kazaana? Good." Ensured that the half demon wouldn't attack him for the time being he continued on. "My name is Miroku and I am collecting the jewel shards so that I may free myself from my curse." He looked down at his right hand, disgust on his face. "It was a demon named Naraku who cursed my family with this kazaana. My father lost his life to it, but as I was passing by I felt the turbulence of a soul divided. The hatred of that soul emitting a rather strange aura. The aura of a Miko. I had to see who could be emitting such an aura and come upon you and the beautiful woman from before, tho she wasn't emitting such a uneven aura before."

"Something happened to her," the kitsune stated. "She changed." Miroku shook his head.

"No, there is a feeling of evil still in the air, tho it seems that the demon who did it is long gone." The caught the attention of the, up to that moment, silent Hanyou.

"What do you mean? I don't smell anything." He took a wiff of the air, his nose twitching at the smell of Kagome and Kikyo's mixed scents. He couldn't smell any- Wait! That's the smell of graveyard dirt! He blinked as he remembered a demon from the night before, one that had smelled of that as well. "It must have been him." Turning from Miroku he headed back to the sleeping bag that Kagome had left behind. Scenting the area he was shocked to find that the scent was stronger around that area. There was also a rather faint scent of something else that he couldn't pinpoint. Miroku followed him, Shippo close behind. He leaned down, crouching he put his hand out. He moved it over the bag, his eyes closing as he tried to detect what was unseen to the human eye.

"It is there, a faint feeling of evil mixed with something a necromancer might use," he stated.

"A what?" Shippo inquired, his voice mixing with Inuyasha's. Both looked confused.

"A person or in this case, a demon, who can bring the dead back to life and I am sure this isn't the end of his little trick."


End file.
